


Love and War: An Achievement Hunter King AU

by Moongem



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), RWBY, Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-23
Updated: 2015-04-08
Packaged: 2018-03-14 19:57:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 34,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3423638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moongem/pseuds/Moongem
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Years have passed since the crowning of the Mad King. Michael has been dethroned, Gavin has been exiled, and Ray roams the realm as a lonely mercenary.<br/>Jack and Geoff are powerless in all but name, puppets to the tyrannical new regime. But all that goes up must come down, and the cycle of power must shift to a new ruler.<br/>As it turns out, the ascension of a stolen throne is not all espionage and tactics. Bad blood is not easily forgotten, and not all open wounds simply heal with time.<br/>This is not simply a tale of politics and coups.<br/>This is a tale of Love and War.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Storm the Tower Part 1

Storm the Tower (Part 1)

Gavin squinted into the darkness, attempting to ignore how uncontrollably his heart was racing in his chest. The torch he held in his hand did little to minimize the chilly obscurity of the tunnel. Michael had told him to keep guard- to watch this specific tunnel because it was his “very important” job. But after about an hour of standing there with no beasts to fight- he felt like more of a third wheel than an essential warrior. In the distance he could hear Michael fighting off countless monsters- leaving him to this boring, barren hole. Sometimes he wondered just how much his strength was underestimated.  
This entire operation seemed a bit sketchy to him- their ally Ray had helped plan most of it- Storming the Mad King’s Tower and catch him off guard. Michael had jumped at it immediately, But Gavin...well, he had his reservations. Michael called it cowardice, but he preferred to call it...prudence. But to tell the truth, Gavin had little intention of coming into contact with the Mad King. The only reason he had agreed to this plan in the first place was because Michael was leading it- and he wanted to see his father again.  
Strictly speaking, Geoff was not really his father. But raising him for most of his life after the death of Gavin’s parents basically qualified him for the title. He had been a caring guardian- always watching out for him. Until he stopped. Sometime in Gavin’s early adolescence, Geoff had stopped loving him, going so far as to cast him out of his kingdom without an explanation as to why. That was when he had met Michael- a royal running from his own kingdom too. The difference was that Michael had been cast out by an occupying force- a famed Mad King Ryan who had killed his father in battle. The same King they were currently trying to take down. Gavin wasn’t all that interested in taking Ryan down- but he was interested in finding out why Geoff has chosen to abandon him for a murderous tyrant. The news that his adoptive father had allied himself with Ryan and some unfamed king named Jack was enough to grab Gavin’s meager attention.  
He lost himself in these thoughts, nearly dropping the torch quite a few times as he repositioned himself in his lean against the damp tunnel wall. When Gavin had been on watch for just over an hour, he began to doze off, the burden of his eyelids increasing until he was snoring softly. The relieving nap didn’t last long until he felt a rough shove on his shoulder. Startled, he turned around, ready to pull out his bow, or the light blade at his side. What he found upon turning around wasn’t a monster, but was definitely as terrifying.  
“What the hell are you doing!?” Michael spat, barely able to whisper, “I told you to keep watch, and you’re here freaking dozing off!”  
“S-Sorry, Michael,” he said, apologetically, “I was just-”  
“I don’t wanna hear about what you were ‘just’ doing, okay, just do your goddamn job!” Michael had a habit of interrupting him, but Gavin didn’t protest much. He was the leader after all.  
“There just wasn’t much going on. But I promise I’ll do better from now on.”  
Michael grunted his annoyed approval, pulling out his glimmering diamond sword to add light to the dreary pathway. “Let’s go,” he said in a gravelly voice, “I’ve cleared the path to the next tunnel.” When he spoke so low, he sounded nearly like the bear whose brown pelt now lay gloriously across Michael’s shoulders. He was rumoured to have wrestled the giant bear to death with his own hands, gaining the ability to transform between bear and man at will.  
But Gavin knew that was all rubbish.  
“Michael?” he asked inquisitively as they walked along, “Why do you always give me the easy jobs?”  
“Huh?” Michael asked, distracted. He was examining a map of the tunnels, not even glancing up from the barely visible parchment.  
“I mean,” he ventured on, “you always fight the monsters and I just stand watch.”  
The warrior sighed, obviously tired of this conversation, “Because I’m strong, and you’re fast, idiot. I’ll fight the baddies and if you see something else coming, you can run to alert me before they get to me. How many times do I have to tell you that?”  
“It’s just...you always seem to do the dangerous stuff.”  
“Well maybe I don’t want you doing the dangerous stuff!”  
“Sshh! Michael!” Gavin whispered, putting a finger to his lips, “You’ll be heard!”  
The King stared at him angrily for a second before muttering, “You’re such a fool, Gavin.” He began walking again, as Gavin scrambled after him, not wanting to be left in the dark alone.  
“No I’m not!”  
“Yes you are.”  
“If I was a fool, you wouldn’t need me here!”  
Another death glare. Suddenly, Michael raised up his hand in alarm, signaling for him to stop. Instead, Gavin accidentally walked into him, knocking his elbow on Michael’s back, and letting go of the torch. The ignited wood clattered to the ground, and the flame sputtered out.  
“Gavin!”  
“...Sorry Michael.”  
“I heard something coming this way, and now we won’t even be able to see what it is!”  
“Sorry Michael!”  
“I freaking hate you.” Gavin knew he didn’t mean it. They had been friends for years now, and Michael’s terms of endearment often sounded like insults. Sometimes he just wished they weren’t so harsh.  
A short distance away, a small golden-orange light flickered on. Judging by its height, Michael guessed someone was holding a torch, or lantern. As the light came closer, he could make out the faint outline of a cloaked male figure walking calmly towards them. He breathed a sigh of relief. It was too skinny, and lacking an extravagant crown to be the Mad King. This he could handle.  
Michael slowly got up, pushing his hand in Gavin’s face to tell him that he was to stay on the ground and shut up. He pressed himself against the wall, ready to pounce when the figure got closer.  
He was almost upon them...  
Any second now...  
Three...Two….One...  
“Hey, what are you two still doing here?”  
It was Ray.  
Gavin could hardly control his snickers. “You looked like a right clod just then! You should have seen yourself! Getting ready to attack and-”  
“Shut up Gavin.” Michael growled.  
“But-”  
“If you’re going to act like a child, then you really aren’t ready for this.”  
Ray stared between them, his source of light blazing in the awkward silence. Around his belt he had sets of throwing knives and daggers, all enchanted to burst into flames when he touched them. Complete with black clothes, and a red cape, he looked like an amazing assassin, and he certainly was. Unfortunately, he couldn’t work alone this time.  
“Uh, guys,” he said softly, “I hate to interrupt but- we have a mission to complete.”  
“Ray’s right.” Michael said quickly, “Let’s go.” He turned and began to walk in the direction Ray came from, with his accomplices trailing behind him.  
Gavin didn’t know what had gotten into Michael lately. He had always been a bit rough on the edges, but now more than ever he could be downright callous. Perhaps the stress of being a leader was catching up to him.  
…  
After a while, the tunnel began to rise. Gavin wondered just how many secret tunnels the Mad King had beneath his tower, and what on earth he needed them for.  
“Here.” Ray whispered sharply, just as Gavin thought his tired legs would crumble beneath him.  
“Are you sure?” Michael asked. It wasn’t like him to be uncertain.  
“Positive. I’ve been through these tunnels dozens of times, and no one’s even known.”  
“Huh,” Michael shrugged, “Maybe the Mad King isn’t as all-knowing as he says.”  
Ray nodded and put one of his knives close to the door. Gavin could see the faint outline of a doorway and the nearly airtight crevices where the tunnel would open up. Ray put a hand on the left stone, and pushed ever so slightly. It slowly moved back, seemingly weightless behind his gloved hand. The other door did the same, and they both slid to the side, revealing the entrance to Ryan’s strategy room. Gavin had to cover his eyes at first, allowing them to adjust to light after what seemed like an eternity in darkness. The rest of the tunnel now seemed blanketed in obscurity compared to their little pocket of light.  
“Are you ready?” Michael asked.  
Gavin nodded, “Always.”  
Ray smirked and nodded as well.  
The three of them walked into the chamber together, ready to face whomever was waiting for them inside.  
Once they got in, Michael couldn’t contain his anger. The roar he emitted was so loud, Gavin thought he really would become a bear.  
Michael had been wrong. They had wasted their time.  
There was nobody in the chamber.


	2. Storm the Tower Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Mad King and his allies are introduced. Michael, Gavin and Ray find themselves in a right bugger's muddle.

Storm the Tower (Part 2)

Another argument. That’s all they had these days. Geoff couldn't remember the last time one of their meetings hadn’t devolved into petty disagreement, and this occasion was no exception. As usual, Jack and Ryan couldn't agree on the next plan of action. Ryan’s plans were always complex- like the intricate strands of a spider’s web, designed to ensnare the unexpecting prey. But Jack had no patience for that- his plans were simple and robust, much too simple for Ryan’s liking.  
“Ryan, this plan won’t work!”  
“Oh, trust me, it will.”  
Geoff looked back and forth between the two kings as they bickered like children. Sitting at the table in their large planning room- the only chamber in Ryan’s tower not blanketed in darkness- was ironically where they were the least productive. Ryan tended to take his role as leader quite literally, feeling the need to herd the two of them like sheep towards his ideas.  
They had been doing this for more than an hour- figuring out what to do with the three intruders they had successfully baited into their hands. Jack had voted to kill them upon capture- it was much simpler and there would be no fear of them escaping, or further ruining their plans. But Ryan wanted to keep the rebels alive- torture out information about their allies and make public examples of them. Geoff had sided with Ryan on this one, not because he usually cared about the lives of rebellious upstarts- but because someone he knew personally was one of the intruders.  
He got up from their table, tuning out his allies’ bickering. Walking to the large ceiling-to-floor window on the west side of the room, he could see the sun setting- a dimming orb surrounded by a blood-red sky. The Mad King had probably wanted this window to remind him of his many violent conquests.   
But it only reminded Geoff of his family's blood. Blood smeared everywhere- on the ground; on their bodies; on the carriages they had been using to travel to a banquet so long ago. A family trip gone horribly wrong when they had been attacked- ambushed by men led by his own son. Seeing Gavin standing over his dead wife, and covered in her blood- it was enough to make him cast the traitor out, even at such a young age. Every time Geoff thought about it, he remembered the exact details less and less, but the pain only increased. No one knew of the betrayal, and Geoff kept this painful story even from his comrades. No one needed a reason to think his emotions would make him weak.  
After all these years, he hadn’t seen Gavin once. Never had a chance to be angry, or hear any remorse. All he wanted was a chance...just a moment to question him. Ask him why. Why did he try to steal Geoff’s kingdom from him? Was his parenting so bad that Gavin couldn’t wait to be crowned or even granted a co-rulership? Was he such a cruel father that killing his family and loyal servants was necessary? In his original rage, he had simply cast Gavin out as soon as possible- but now he would have a chance to understand why.  
And well, after that…  
Ryan could do what he wanted with him.  
“Geoff.”  
Jack’s gruff voice and huge hand on his shoulder brought him back to the present. He turned, giving a brief smile, “Yes, sorry, I was just-”  
Jack nodded quickly. He didn’t know what happened with Gavin, but he knew enough to understand that it was a delicate subject. Jack was far better with figuring out solutions than figuring out people, so he didn’t ask many questions. Thanks to his steady build, silent manner, and menacing double-headed axe at his side, people usually mistook him as an oaf- but behind the threatening beard was an extremely intelligent man- who was often underestimated even by his peers.  
“Come, you two!” Came Ryan’s commanding voice. He had picked up his sceptre, making grand gestures that caused his red cloak to flow about dramatically.  
The cloak was red as the sunset.  
Red as blood.  
“We have business to tend to,” he said sharply, “if you two can stop wasting time.”  
“But,” Jack protested, “We still haven’t figured out what our plan of action is!”  
Ryan snickered, and for a second, Geoff forgot that they were allies and his heart froze with fear. The man had a truly unsettling laugh.  
“Oh Jack,” Ryan said condescendingly as if speaking to a small child, “How long will it take you to understand that the plan of action is always what I say it is? Now come!”  
Ignoring Jack’s angry glare, The Mad King waved his sceptre, and the red gem on the end began to glow- like blood illuminated by the light of a full moon.  
A large tile beside Ryan slid away, revealing a small chamber beneath him.  
“They’ll most likely come into this room. They know this is where we spend most of our time discussing future plans. Once they reach us, we’ll be waiting right here for them.” He stepped down into the dark room- a very small and modest hiding place for a king of his stature. “Well?” He said impatiently, looking at his allies’ wary expressions, “Come on!”  
Jack lumbered down into the room, then held out his huge arm to help Geoff down. Ryan uttered a few intelligible whispers to his sceptre, and the tile that was now above their heads slid back into place.  
The last thing Geoff saw before waiting an hour in darkness was Ryan’s blood red gem fading away before his eyes. Oh, how red that gem was.  
Red like the sunset.  
Red like the Mad King’s cloak.  
Red like the blood of his loved ones.  
Red like blood.  
Like blood.  
...  
“Michael, calm down!”  
“Don’t tell me to calm down!” Michael was in hysterics, tearing at his hair and throwing his sword clattering to the ground. He had even punched the floor in his rage. But instead of breaking his hand as Gavin feared, the dark tiles beneath them cracked from the violent impact. In fact, the whole room seemed to shake and rumble with his fury. If he didn’t stop soon, they would be found.  
“M-Michael?”  
He continued his fit, seemingly forgetting that his silence was essential.  
“Michael!”  
“WHAT?” His voice echoed menacingly throughout the chamber, and for a second, Gavin thought he would attack him. Instead, he let his shaking hands fall to his side, his shoulders rising up and down with his heavy breathing. When Ray put a hand on his shoulder, Michael finally seemed to calm down- if only slightly.  
“It was my fault,” Ray grumbled, “Timing must have been off-”  
“No!” Michael said, “I keep getting so close to Ryan,” he put his finger and thumb close together for emphasis,” but I always lose his scent at the last moment!”   
“Don’t blame yourself Michael.” Gavin offered.  
“Yes, Michael.” The voice that spoke next belonged to none of the three infiltrators in the room.  
Beside a shifting tile across the chamber stood The Mad King, flanked by Geoff and Jack. He smiled maliciously. “You’re being much too hard on yourself.”

…  
“Where are you taking us?” Michael asked angrily. Gavin was surprised that Michael could sound so brave under the circumstances. He was sweating in his boots, and he could see Ray looking around nervously. The three of them were being led through underground corridors by nearly a dozen of Ryan’s well-armed guards.   
After a few minutes of Gavin stumbling over himself in the poorly lit hallways, they came upon a group of cells- a few on either side of them. Most of them were empty, but in a few were sights Gavin never wanted to see again- an old man dressed in what used to be expensive fabrics now rocked back and forth, muttering to himself in fading rags. In another was a human body- covered with the marks of a violent flogging. The corpse seemed to have bled out, and its eyes lay open, almost seeming to follow them as they passed by. The last prisoner was still very alive, and seemed to have a good deal of her sanity left. She had striking dark red hair, but a murderous expression painted her surprisingly good-natured face. She gripped the bars of her cell tightly as Ryan’s little parade walked by.  
He smiled at her before giving the signal for the guards to shove the three rebels into the cell across from his female prisoner.  
“Come!” Ryan said, and with a grand swoop of his cape, he sauntered back to the entrance from which he came, followed by his guards, and a very ill-tempered Jack. Geoff however, lingered behind, looking warily at Gavin. He took a tentative step towards the cell, hands behind his back. The woman in the cell opposite them could see how tightly he clenched his fingers in those dark green gloves.  
“G-Geoff?” Gavin asked quietly, his voice cracking with emotion. Since their capture Geoff had uttered not one word to Gavin. Not even eye contact had been made. Even now, Geoff stared heavy-eyed at the ground, his vision only tracing the outline of Gavin’s feet.  
“Geoff, why are you doing this?” Geoff still didn’t look up. If he didn’t look, he wouldn’t be able to see the fear in his eyes, that he could so clearly hear in his voice.  
“You know why.” Geoff’s voice was nearly inaudible- a gruff mumble compared to his usually light-hearted speech.  
“No I don’t!” Gavin shook his head so earnestly that Geoff almost believed him- almost. “I didn’t do anything! All I remember is that...you…” The words got caught in Gavin’s throat, “you banished me! You stopped loving me!”  
“You hypocrite!” the anger in Geoff’s voice echoed throughout the dungeons, as he grabbed Gavin by the front of his shirt through the bars, finally forcing himself to look into those deceptively innocent eyes, “Don’t you dare talk to me about love and betrayal after what you did.”  
“But I didn’t-”  
“Silence! They died because of you, and now you will finally pay for what you have done!”  
There was no reply. Only Geoff’s heavy breathing, and Michael growling under his breath. Geoff broke eye-contact long enough to realize that Ray and Michael had gotten up from the floor, ready to defend their ally, even from behind bars. Then he looked back down at his estranged son- tears streaming from those beautiful green eyes. He took a deep breath.  
How foolish he had been to get worked up over this- this child! Here was, about to impart years of anger and grief onto him, and he was sniveling like a spineless coward! Geoff slammed Gavin back onto the ground, ignoring the thud the bars made against the young man’s forehead.  
Michael scrambled to his side, gently pulling him back up by the shoulders- not at all what one would expect from such a fearsome warrior. Geoff found himself laughing as he looked at them- three helpless birds locked in a cage.  
“You’re a child,” he spat at Gavin, “Perhaps once a child with strong allies, but they have abandoned you. All you are left with is a thieving liar, and burned out monster as your friends.” He knelt down, reaching through the bars and grabbed Gavin roughly by the chin, forcing their eyes to lock once more, “I used to fear you,” he whispered, “But now there is no fear Gavin- only hate. And once the Mad King has tortured you, and humiliated you, he will kill you!” Oh, how he enjoyed the whimper that came from Gavin’s tear stained lips! “And you will finally have to face what you’ve done.”  
Geoff got up, and turned swiftly away, ignoring the angered curses Michael was hurling his way.  
“Damn him!” Michael said, clenching his hands into fists. Damn Gavin too. He thought. He wanted to wipe away that fool’s tears, tell him everything was going to be fine. But I can’t, and I won’t. They weren’t children anymore, and Gavin needed to learn how to hide his emotions from others, no matter close they were, or used to be.  
“Come on, Gavin, get up!” He hauled him roughly to his feet by his shoulder, ignoring the cry of pain that escaped from his mouth. “We need to find a way to escape, and we can’t do that if you just sit there crying. I know it’s tough, but we’ll deal with Geoff later, okay?”  
Gavin nodded, looking ashamed of his tears, “Yes. Yes, you’re right, I’m sorry.”  
The idea however, didn’t seem to sit well with Ray, “Uh, hold on. Escape? As in leave? Am I the only one who sees a few issues with this plan?” He pointed a little ways down the hall, where two guards stood on both sides of the corridor, blocking the way out with their spears.  
“So what do you want to do?” Michael asked coarsely, “Sit here, and wait for Ryan to skin us and pull out our fingernails?” For emphasis, he tugged on Gavin’s finger, then gave him an angry glare when he flinched.  
“I just...I don’t think now is the best time.”  
“Then when is the best time? After we’ve had our heads bashed in so hard we can’t even think straight?”  
Ray looked down the hall, seeming unusually stressed for someone so often laid back and calm. “Fine,” he said, “I get what you’re saying. Just try to keep your voice down, okay?”  
Michael nodded, “Now all we have to do is figure out a way to get out of the damned cell.”  
Gavin suddenly pricked up, already recovering from his latest embarrassment, “Hold on a second,” he whispered excitedly, “I have an idea.”

…  
“Hey!” Ray called, “Hey you! In the shiny helmet! Come over here!”  
The two guards looked at each other with wary expressions on their faces. The one on the right- a tall and rather lanky man finally walked towards them, gripping his spear tightly.  
“What do you want?” He snapped quickly. He may have sounded confident, but the way he eyed Michael showed that he had heard the rumours about his abilities.  
“Uh,” Ray said, “Can you lean in a bit closer? It’s a bit embarrassing.” The Guard rolled his eyes before leaning in with a clear look of disgust written on his face.  
“What is it?”  
“I uh...I gotta relieve myself. Do you think you could let me out? Just for a second?”  
The Guard squinted at him, “Then relieve yourself in there! You think I give a damn?”  
“Please!” Ray cried, grasping at him through the bars.  
The Guard pried him off, throwing him to the ground. “Honestly, how stupid do you think I am?”  
Ray smiled as he got back up, “Pretty freaking stupid.” On his gloved hand, he twirled a set of cell keys, freshly picked from the waist of a very slow guard. He grabbed the man by the shoulders, and brought their heads together -as much as he could through the vertical steel strips- sending the guard the ground, unconscious. By the time the other guard had realized what had happened, Ray, Gavin and Michael had already unlocked the cell. Gavin dragged the unconscious guard inside, while Michael negotiated with the other.  
“You have two options.” Michael said in his most intimidating voice, “You can let us lock you in the cell with your friend over there,” He nodded in the direction of the cell they had just escaped from, “Or you can try to stop us, and I’ll run you through with my sword. Your choice.”  
The fear in the guards eyes was so apparent, that Gavin felt bad for him, “You don’t understand! I may work for the Mad King, but he’ll torture me all the same if he finds out I let you escape!”  
“Then I guess you picked the wrong side.” Before he even had time to raise his spear, Michael swung his gleaming sword at the guard, separating his head from his armoured body.  
The three of them turned to run, but a loud voice stopped them in their tracks, “Hey! What about me?” They all turned to see the girl with the red hair looking at them expectantly with her arms crossed. “You’re bringing me with you too!”  
Michael walked up to her, clearly annoyed, “And what makes you think we need you?”  
“Because,” she said, leaning in with an equally confident gaze, “I know this kingdom better than the back of my hand. If you’re going anywhere, you’ll benefit from having at your side. Plus,” she said, smiling at Michael’s conflicted expression, “Even if I wasn’t of use to you, you still would have saved me.”  
“And what makes you think that?” Ray and Michael said in unmoved unison.  
“Because I’ve heard the tales about you- Mogar.”  
“What?” Gavin asked?  
The woman smiled, “The man with- let’s just say...monstrous tendencies, but with a heart stronger than any show of force he could conjure. You may be a beast, but you have a heart of gold. And you weren’t about to let an innocent girl waste away in The Mad King’s cell.”  
Michael scrutinized her, but he had already grabbed the keys from Ray’s hand, and had begun to unlock her cell, “And how do I know you’re innocent?” He asked as he swung the door open.  
The woman stepped out of the cell, looking quite chipper for someone who had been locked in a dungeon only moments ago. “You’ll just have to trust me.” Her smile looked mischievous, but something in it made Gavin want to believe her.  
“If you want us to trust you,” Ray said, looking extremely unhappy, “Why don’t you give us a name?”  
“My name,” she said, flashing another surprising smile, “Is Lindsay. And I’m at your service.”

…  
Jack was tired. He was so damn tired of playing this meaningless game of conquest and power. All these stupid guards rushing around in every direction. All the horns and sirens blowing across the tower. The Mad King trying desperately to find the prisoners he had lost so soon after capturing them. None of this would be happening if Jack was in charge. Everything would be orderly and all plans would be carried through with precision. But Ryan was their beloved leader. And it seemed he always would be.  
Jack walked angrily through the torch-lit tunnels, roughly brushing past- and occasionally knocking over- Ryan’s soldiers as he went along. Stupid, stupid guards. They been alerted of Michael’s disappearance over half an hour ago, and still couldn’t find them.  
If only Jack was in charge. If only Jack’s family had had the upper hand instead of Geoff’s- who let it slip away from him in his drunken grief- or Ryan who stole what he wanted with no thought of who he would hurt in the process. Michael was a child, and even more so were his allies. The only man Jack could think of to do the job right was himself.  
But his family honour had been forgotten by years of neglect. They pulled themselves away from the other kingdoms, not wanting to deal with the constant squabbling among other nobles and kings. But now that they were gone, Jack would have to find his own honour. Instead of riding on the back of his family’s name like Geoff, or stealing it from other’s like Ryan.  
He could be so great, if only Ryan would just give him a chance.  
But of course he wouldn’t.  
And Jack was getting very tired of the Mad King.  
So very tired.  
...  
Gavin had made up his mind- he hated tunnels. All this going up and down, and round and about made him dizzy and nauseous- not to mention they were going so fast that Ray had little time to get his bearings, and Michael had even less to decipher his rough map. But of course Michael would hear none of Gavin’s complaints while they tried to find a way out of the Mad King’s tower- he was too busy questioning their new ally.  
All she had told them what that she once worked for King Ryan, helping with his battle strategies and plans for future development. But once she realized how out of hand everything was getting, she tried to persuade him to be content with the lands he already had- and perhaps give some back to their rightful owners. That notion -especially the last one- didn’t sit quite well with him, and but since he was so fond of her once extant companionship and brave honesty, he threw her in a cell instead of simply executing or torturing her right on the spot as he had done to so many before.  
By then, the rest of the guards had figured out what was going on, and sirens went off all around the tower. Around every tunnel corner, guards could be heard, and they occasionally had to pick off a lone guard searching by himself.  
From behind, they heard the footsteps, and angry yells of soldiers, so they began running again. “Come on,” Michael whispered sharply. They ran until they came to a tunnel that split three ways. The sound of guards could be heard from all of them.  
“Where do we go now Michael?” Gavin asked frantically.  
Michael turned to Lindsay, “Why don’t you tell us? After all, you said you knew this place like the back of your hand!”  
“I said I knew the kingdom like the back of my hand,” she shot back, “Not these tunnels! I’ve only ever worked on the upper floors!”  
They stared at each other angrily, but there was some grudging admiration in Michael’s eyes. Gavin didn’t like it.  
“I know where to go!” Ray said suddenly, then dashed off, turning to the tunnel on the left.  
“Wait!” Michael hissed, hauling after him.  
Gavin and Lindsay turned to each other, and Gavin could see his own fear and annoyance in her face as well.  
“Let’s go,” he said quickly. She nodded, and they ran down the left tunnel, quickly catching up to Michael and Ray.  
“We need to go!” Michael said, nearly screaming the words, “There are guards coming from both directions, we need to do something!”  
Ray wasn’t listening. Instead he was feeling the walls frantically, and muttering to himself. “I know it’s here, it’s gotta be-”  
Suddenly, his finger caught on a dent in the tunnel side, and a doorway similar to the one that led to the planning room carved itself into the wall. They all stared in amazement at Ray, who didn’t even stop to back in his glory as he often did.  
“Come on,” he said, waving at them to step into the little room he had just opened. It was dark, and extremely small. He pressed his hand up against the side of the doorway, and the door slid close, leaving the four of them in complete darkness.  
“Ray? A little light please?” Gavin was not a fan of the dark, especially after their latest little adventure. He found himself reaching for Michael’s hand, but stopped just in time. “Also, what’s that noise?”  
A soft hum was coming from the other side of the room, but none of them could see what was making the sound.  
“Don’t worry,” Ray said, taking a throwing knife from his belt as it burst into flame, “That’s the reason why we’re here.” The light from his knife was enough to brighten the entire room- which was not very big anyway- and they could see now what was humming away.  
Beside Gavin was a portal- a doorway of pure obsidian, enchanted with fire and magic. A thin purple veil seemed to glimmer in the doorway, and behind it’s translucence, different landscapes from across the kingdom took shape- then faded away as the next took form.  
Gavin’s eyes lit up in childlike wonder, “That’s brilliant! We can use that to escape, yeah?”  
Ray nodded, but he didn’t look nearly as relieved or happy as Gavin felt.  
“It’s pretty lucky you remembered that at the last second.” Lindsay remarked.  
Ray shot her a look, but didn’t say anything. Apparently he was taking a liking to this new ally even slower than the others.  
Michael however, had no time to marvel at the wonders hidden in the Mad King’s Tower. “So that...thing-”  
“Portal.” Ray corrected.  
“Yeah, whatever,” Michael waved his hand dismissively, “This will take us where ever we want to go, right?” Outside the room, the frantic shouts of guards could be heard- sooner or later, someone would remember this room, and if they didn’t leave now, they’d be found.  
“Well...” Ray said, his voice much too slow for someone trying to escape from the clutches of a madman, “Not exactly.”  
Michael pushed past Gavin and Lindsay to stand beside Ray, anger plastered across his face- not that it could be seen very well in the dimly-lit room, “What do you mean ‘not exactly’?”  
Ray turned back to the portal, unfazed by his leader’s anger, “It’s slightly psychic.”  
Lindsay stared at him in confusion, “Meaning what exactly?”  
“Meaning it might not take us where we necessarily want to go, but it will take us where we need to go.”  
Michael scoffed, obviously unmoved by this sentimental statement, “Fine, just get it to work.”  
Ray nodded and put a hand on the side of the Portal, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. Suddenly a view of a small building that resembled a hut appeared in the violaceous haze.  
“What’s that?” Gavin asked, “do you know where it is?”  
“Yes,” Ray nodded, “Let’s just call it a safe house.”  
Before any of them had a chance to protest, Ray stepped into the portal, disappearing before their eyes. Lindsay was next, surprisingly trusting of the three men she had just met. Presumably any future punishments the Mad King had in store for her were much worse than taking a leap of faith.  
Michael looked at Gavin with an obvious look of annoyance, “I can’t stand this magic bullshit.”  
“Wasn’t your sword enchanted by its previous owner?”  
“Shut up Gavin.”  
“Anyway, I like the way the portal works.”  
Michael shook his head, trying to hide the smirk that stretched his lips, “Come on, fool.”  
He stepped into the Portal, holding out his hand behind him for Gavin to follow. They stepped in, leaving the wrath of the Mad King behind them. The portal shimmered, and changed scenes, leaving no sign of the destination of the allies who had just passed through it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you're liking the AU! (I mean it must be alright if you stuck around for the second chapter.) Please don't hesitate to leave comments, grammar/spelling corrections, and just general ways I can improve.   
> Thanks! <3


	3. The Most Dangerous Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael, Gavin and Ray make plans with a new ally while the rival kings decide on their next move.

The Most Dangerous Game

Michael was getting tired of Ray’s constant protests. He was usually silent when plans were being discussed and went along with whatever Michal said. But now they could barely agree on anything. They sat in the middle of Ray’s ‘safehouse’, a hut made of little more than large stones, sticks, and mud. Around them were meager furnishings- cots and wooden chests filled with food and other provisions. Light streamed in through the only two windows- it was nearly noon, and they were still arguing. Michael and Ray sat cross legged, looking over a roughly drawn map that had been tucked away in one of the chests. Lindsay had corrected its many errors, and was now drawing on it frantically as they kept changing plans and routes. Gavin was perched precariously on a stack of chests, watching the banter go back and forth.  
“I’m just saying,” Ray said, “We should take out Geoff and Jack first. Without his allies, Ryan will have less power over his men and-”  
“You can say whatever the hell you want!” Michael’s habit of interrupting was only getting worse, “The Mad King stole everything from me and he’s the most powerful, so he’s getting it first. Once we end him, his allies will have no one to turn to!” Michael said it so simply, that it almost sounded like an easy plan.  
“Oh once we end him?” Ray said mockingly, “Like how we planned to end him last night?”  
Michael crossed his arms angrily, “You said it yourself, that was thanks to your botched planning!”  
“Well you’re our leader! Why don’t you come up with something better?”  
“I’m trying to! Maybe if you’d stop shooting down all my ideas-”  
“Maybe you should get your head out of the clouds and think!”  
“Maybe you should pull that foot out of your mouth!”  
“Maybe you should pull that stick out of your a-”  
“Guys, come on!” Gavin said, leaping down from his spot, “We’re not going to get anything done if we can’t listen to each other’s ideas!”  
“You know what Gavin? Michael said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, “You’re absolutely right! We should listen to each other! Why don’t you tell us what you think, since you’ve been silent this whole goddamn time?”  
“W-Well,” Gavin said, touching his fingers together nervously, “Maybe instead of planning all this killing and whatnot...we could find a way to imprison them instead?”  
Michael stared at him blankly for a second, then got up, throwing his hands in the air, “You know what? I give up!” He stomped towards the door, and turned before opening it, “No wonder I can’t get anything done right. My partners are fucking morons.” He turned back around so he couldn’t see the expressions on their faces. “I’m going for a walk.” Michael slammed the door shut so hard, it nearly wrenched out of it’s hinges.  
The hut was silent- even Lindsay had stopped scribbling on the parchment. Finally Ray exhaled, getting up and stretching his back. “He’s so damn impossible. I see this is what I get for trying to help him out.”  
“No one’s blaming you Ray, it’s just-”  
“No one’s blaming me?” Ray yelled,” He just freaking did! He doesn’t even respect us at all! But of course, you don’t care do you? You’d follow him around like a loyal puppy just to see a look of approval in his eyes”  
“Th-That’s not true-”  
“Yes it is.” Ray said quietly, “and you know how I know? Because you’re going to go after him right now aren’t you? Even though he called you a moron, and a fool, you’d follow him anywhere.”  
“It’s called friendship, Ray.” Gavin muttered, “and I’m sorry if you don’t know what that means, but I do. That’s why I put up with him.”  
“You’re a child.”  
“I’m not the one who drove him away.” With that, Gavin left, leaving the door barely hanging onto it’s frame.  
Silence filled the hut once more, until Lindsay finally broke the silence.  
“So...it seems you guys don’t get a lot done.”  
Ray smiled warily, looking out the window in the direction Gavin had just fled, “You have no idea.”  
…  
When Gavin found Michael, he was drinking from a nearby lake. His shirt was off, and his pelt lay on the grass beside him.  
“Hey Michael!” Gavin called out.  
Michael turned around, his hand going to the sword at his side. His shoulders relaxed as Gavin came closer, but his face grew increasingly annoyed.  
“Don’t do that, Gavin” he grumbled.  
“Do what Michael?”  
“Sneak up on me. I might hurt you.”  
“Yeah, right.”  
Michael sighed, and his heaving chest glistened from the lake water that reflected the midday sun. “Did Ray send you after me?”  
“No,” Gavin said. “But I think you should talk to him.”  
“Why’s that?”  
“Because he thinks you don’t appreciate him. I mean...you really don’t listen to either of us. Not to mention how often we get insulted.”  
For a second, Michael looked as if he would start yelling again, but then his gaze softened. “I know. You’re right...I am being harsh- I didn’t actually mean what I said to you back there. It’s just...when we were younger, we always used to dream of getting our power back. But now that we’re actually trying, it just...it’s seems like we can’t do it. We get foiled at every turn because we never plan well enough, or Ryan has too many men, or something we never seem to get around.”  
Gavin wasn’t used to seeing his friend so discouraged. He put a supporting hand on his bare shoulder, “Don’t worry Michael. We’ll take everything back. I promise.”  
Michael smiled, but Gavin wondered how long it had been since he had been truly happy. “Thanks Gavin.”  
“Anyway,” Gavin continued, “There’s no way you can lose with me at your side!”  
Michael scoffed, and ruffled the sand coloured hair on his ally’s head. “Is that so?”  
“Of course!” Gavin said, feigning offense, “Maybe if you stopped giving me all the crap jobs, you’d be able to see what I can really do! I mean, look at us!” He pointed into the lake, where they could see their reflections in the clear water. “The Prince and Mighty Mogar, side by side! Fighting the forces of-”  
“What’d you just say?” Michael asked.  
“Well, I-”  
“Do you really think I’m Mogar?” Michael asked cutting him off, “Because those stories are just a load of shit, alright? I’m not some demigod, or mythical creature okay?”  
“Do you have to suck the fun out of everything Michael?”  
“Whatever”  
“No, but really,” Gavin pulled at his friend’s arm when he had begun to walk away, “Don’t you think we look good together Michael?”  
Michael looked once more at their reflections in the water, and his face suddenly changed. There was a long uncomfortable silence before he replied. “You mean we work well together?”  
“Well-”  
“I think that’s what you meant to say, Gavin.”  
“What? Oh yeah, you’re right.” Gavin took a clumsy step back, and tripped over his feet. Michael reached out, grabbing him by the arm before he could fall. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity.  
“M-Michael?”  
“It’s okay to dream, Gavin.” Michael said, his voice devoid of any emotion, he then let go of Gavin’s arm, turning away to put on his shirt and pelt. He walked away, in the direction of the hut, “But don’t get too distracted, fool.”  
Gavin stared after him as he was left alone by the lake. He looked back into it’s rippling reflection, and no longer saw two friends standing side by side. Instead he saw only a young prince standing very much alone.

…  
Ryan paced around the planning room with his hands behind his back. His red cape looking like a fiery trail to accent his anger. Geoff and Jack sat at the table, looking over a large and detailed map of the realm that had been spread over the wooden surface.  
“I have received information from one of my sources claiming that Michael and his allies are aware of my plans to head to my stronghold in the south in a week.” He explained rapidly, barely breathing as he spoke.  
Jack scrutinized him, “Who was this source exactly?”  
“Ah details, details, my dear friend.” Ryan waved a hand in the air as if clearing the insubstantial smoke that was Jack’s suspicion, “Details that concern you in no way.”  
“And how are we to know if this source is trustworthy?”  
Ryan put a hand to his chest, looking offended, “Are you questioning the validity of my spies?” His expression suddenly turned dark and he walked towards Jack, looming over him, “Because that would be questioning the respect my men have to my authority.” He leaned in closer, “Do you think my men have reason to disrespect me Jack? After all, you would know the most about how it feels to be disregarded.”  
Jack looked down at the table, and shook his head.  
“Good.” Ryan swooped back up with a self-satisfied grin on his face. “My source, who will no longer be discussed,” he passed a quick glance at Jack, “has also informed me that Michael plans to take his three little friends- along with my um...previously employed strategist to my stronghold, and wait for my arrival.”  
“Does this mean, we send men there?” Geoff asked, “I have soldiers posted in that area who can-”  
“No, no, no,” Ryan said, ‘We’re going to meet them personally. I’ve moved the date of our arrival to tonight instead.”  
Geoff and Jack stared at him, sputtering their confusion. Ryan laughed, leaning to put his hands on their shoulders, “My friends, how do you think those little scoundrels found a way out of my grasp? They used my own power against me of course!”  
He eased back up, expecting his comrades to catch his drift. Instead they looked blankly at him. “What do you mean?” Geoff asked.  
“My dear Geoff,” The Mad King drawled, “Do you recall any of my soldiers reporting sightings of them leaving through any doors?”  
“Well of course not,” Geoff said, “They’d be too easily caught.”  
“And what of digging tunnels out?”  
“The ground beneath us is rock, and they didn’t have anything to dig with.”  
“Exactly!” Ryan said, sounding like a teacher explaining a lesson to a slow student, “And the only explanation leaves…”  
Geoff squinted at him for a few seconds before sighing, “I honestly have no idea what you’re trying to get at.”  
“Magic, Geoff!” Ryan pointed a finger in the air and grinned madly, obviously amused and almost pleased with the ingenuity of his adversaries, “They knew I possessed an item of magic that would aid them in escaping their well-deserved punishment.”  
Jack folded his arms across his large chest, “And what exactly was this item of magic?”  
“A portal.” Ryan said, “And we will use that portal to get to the stronghold in seconds. The fools will walk right into our hands like they did before, and I’ll make no mistakes this time- they’ll be tortured and killed in no longer than a day after their capture.”  
Geoff made a noise that sounded as if he was being strangled.  
“Geoff?” The Mad King turned to him, looking slightly annoyed, “Do you have any issues with this?”  
“Well, it’s just-”  
“No?” Ryan asked loudly, clearly ignoring his protest, “Good. We have much to do that cannot be accomplished when mingled with hesitation.”  
“But Gavin-” Geoff started.  
“I thought you hated him.” Ryan said, “You can’t possibly be concerned about someone you banished years ago, can you? Wouldn’t that seriously interfere with your loyalty to me?”  
“I...I suppose…”  
“Then you aren’t really concerned with him, are you?”  
“He’s...he’s just a boy.”  
“A boy allied with our most dangerous enemy, is he not?”  
The sadness in Geoff’s eyes was unmistakable, “Yes.”  
Ryan nodded, and looked at Geoff for a while before exclaiming, “Geoff! You said you have men posted in many places, is that correct?”  
He nodded.  
“Good.” The Mad KIng stared off into the distance before speaking again, “Tell them that my spy will be tracking them, and will alert them once the opportunity presents itself.”  
“What opportunity?”  
“To kill Michael’s allies, and bring him to me.”  
Geoff’s eye twitched.  
“Any problems with that?” Ryan looked at him smugly, almost silently daring him to refuse.  
Geoff said nothing.  
“It would be a shame if some foolish boy got in the way of our plans wouldn’t it?”  
“I-”  
“Because I will not let some previous affection you had for your ‘son’ get in the way of my plans. Do you understand?” Ryan’s voice had turned from honey to steel in a matter of seconds. “Surely you do. And if so, you should have no problems with telling your men to kill Gavin on sight.”  
Once again, Geoff was silent for a long time. Suddenly he got up from his chair, and turned in the direction of the chamber doors.  
“Where are you going?” Ryan asked sharply, putting a hand to his shoulder.  
“To alert my men, as I was told,” Geoff said with a haggard expression. He had the face of a man who had given up.  
The Mad King’s thin lips twisted into a disturbing smile, “Good, Geoff. You go do just that. Come back once the message had been received. We have much to do, and a portal waiting for our use.”  
…  
It was getting late, and Gavin was getting worried. He sat in the hut with Ray and Lindsay- Michael had gone out again, giving no indication of when he would return.  
“Don’t worry,” Ray said, starting a small fire in the centre of the small house, “He’ll be fine. He can take care of himself.”  
“I know,” Gavin said, “But what if Ryan’s sent out his men after him?” He spent the next hour pacing up and down in the considerably small space, pondering all the ways in which Michael could be in trouble.  
Finally Lindsay put her hand out to stop him, “Calm down Gavin! And stop pacing, you’re making me dizzy.”  
“Fine,” Gavin said helplessly, finding a place to sit amongst the hastily stacked boxes and chests, “I just wish he wouldn’t be so secretive with me.”  
Ray scoffed, “You’re the only person he shares his secrets with. Around me, he’s a closed book.”  
“Sounds familiar.” Gavin mused.  
“What do you mean?”  
“Well, when you joined us, you never really told us anything except that you wanted to help us take down Ryan. I don’t even know much about you other than that you really don’t like him.”  
Ray looked looked the fire for a moment, as if preparing to choose his words carefully, “It’s not that I hate Ryan specifically. It’s people like him. People who think they can take whatever they want, and hurt whoever they want without caring who’s left behind to mourn.”  
“Mourn?” Lindsay asked, “Did you lose someone close to you?”  
“Try everyone close to me,” Ray said with a bitter smile, “We were at this banquet and...well I don’t exactly remember where. I was pretty young. But I do remember what happened after they brought the deserts around. Do you…” at that moment, his voice cracked and Gavin reckoned it was the most vulnerable he had seen Ray before, “Do you know what it’s like to watch people die by poisoning?”  
Gavin shook his head wide-eyed, but Lindsay nodded sadly. She had seen a fair share of nobles from the Mad King’s court die ‘mysteriously’ after feasts and banquets. Coincidentally, they always happened to be those who had fallen out of favour with their king.  
“Well,” Ray continued, his throat sounding dry and coarse, “It’s not pretty. And it’s definitely not something I’d forget, no matter how young I was. And well- let’s just say I’m not the biggest fan of pastries these days.”  
“So,” Gavin began quietly, “I mean...I’m sorry for your loss, I truly am. But what’s that got to do with Ryan? Did he poison your family?”  
“No.” Ray said, “Maybe, I don’t know. But it doesn’t matter. Whoever did obviously didn’t care what it would have been like for a small child to watch his family choke to death in front of him. Ryan’s the same way. Do you think he’d hesitate to do the same to a household he viewed as a threat?”  
“No,” Lindsay answered immediately, “He’d have no trouble sleeping that night, either.”  
Ray nodded, “Well there’s your answer then. That’s why I hate Ryan, and everyone like him.”   
At that moment, Michael burst back into the room, breathing heavily and covered in sweat. He tore off his pelt without acknowledging anyone, threw it into a corner, and plopped down by the fire.  
“Michael!” Gavin exclaimed, rushing over to his side, “Where have you been all this time?”  
“Hunting,” was his grumbled reply.  
“But-” Gavin sputtered, looking confused, “If you were hunting where’s the animal you caught?”  
Michael ignored him and stared back into the red flames. When Gavin tried questioning him once more, he was given a deadly glare that silenced him immediately. When Michael did speak again, it was about their plans for the next day.  
“Does everyone understand what we’re doing?”  
“Yes,” Lindsay said, rolling up her map, “I’ll lead you through a little known route in the southern sector of the Central Forest. If I see anyone, I’ll tell them you went west.”  
Ray laughed darkly, “In what way?”  
Lindsay didn’t look amused, “Don’t talk like that. You have no idea how much the people need you. When I used to work for the Mad King, I saw only a fraction of the oppression he put upon the peasants, and even many of the nobles. You have to stop him.”  
“That’s quite a lot of faith to put on three strangers.” Ray muttered.  
“Strangers or no, I’ve heard about you. If Ryan even acknowledges your existence, then you must be a threat. The fact that you could manage to escape from him shows just how effective you three really are.”  
“We’ll find him.” Michael said, seeming to regain his old confidence, “and we’ll make him pay for everything.”  
Lindsay gave a sort of grim smile, “Good.”  
“Hold on,” Gavin piped up, “You said if you saw anyone, you’d tell them we headed west-”  
“-or died.” Ray put in.  
“Aren’t you coming with us?”  
Their new ally shook her head, “I have family in the north, and the Mad King’s planning to invade those lands. I’m going to warn them.”  
Michael shook his head disbelievingly, “The lands in the north? Has Ryan gotten so greedy that he even wants to interfere with Rise Monger territory?”  
The redhead nodded, “His greed has grown enough for him to want anything. And his ego makes him think he can do it.”  
They sat in silence for a while, wondering what they exactly planned to do once they met with Ryan for a second time. It seemed so simple to talk about it- but they had just walked right into his hands the last time. Each one could see that everyone else was thinking the same thoughts- but no one said anything out loud.  
By the next hour, they were preparing for an uneasy night’s sleep, worried yet excited for what was in store for them in the next day. Gavin was curled up awfully close to Michael, who -despite the annoyed look on his face- didn’t protest. Ray had volunteered for first watch, and looked at them sadly as they lay so close to each other, but not so close that others would notice. Not close enough for them to be happy.  
Fools. Just the fact that they thought their obvious affection was a secret showed how oblivious they truly were. Perhaps Michael could hide his feelings, but Gavin was always beside him, always fawning over his dear King Michael. And both of them so trusting in the people they met. They wanted to be able to trust others so badly- in positions where trusting almost certainly led to betrayal.  
It was a dangerous game they were all playing- going up against the Mad King. But Michael and Gavin were playing the most dangerous game of all.  
Because love during a time of war is a very dangerous game indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Corrections? Feedback? I'm eager for either, or both. Or just a general indication of how the story's been so far.


	4. The Hit List

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroes complete their trek to the Mad King's strong hold, a traitor is revealed, and the plot thickens.

Gavin hated travelling by horseback, he truly did. The fact that they had set out at the crack of dawn didn’t exactly help either. Every time he tried to ask Michael how soon they would get here, the king just grumbled under his breath and looked on, annoyed. Ray apparently had many contacts because a friend had supplied them with four horses before sunup. Gavin had never seen whoever it was, because they had come while Ray was still on first watch.  
Lindsay was in front of the pack, guiding them through a forest with no clear man made path on it. They’d often have to skirt around fallen trees and reroute when the land fell away in unexpected places. By the time night came around, Gavin’s legs were aching- Michael hadn’t allowed them to stop, as he wanted to get to the stronghold as quickly as possible- and he sweating pools in his tunic. The trees of the Central Forest were tall, but the sun eventually pierced the shade they once provided, leaving Gavin not only tired, but caked in perspiration. Ray had stayed silent the whole time, presumably still angry about the recent fight with Michael.  
After what felt like an eternity, the sky began to darken, and the first stars appeared.  
“When are we going to reach the stronghold?” Gavin asked groggily.  
“Tomorrow,” Lindsay said, “But we shouldn’t travel during the night. Dangerous creatures lurk in these woods when the sun sets, and our best bet is to find a place where we’ll be hard to spot.”  
“What?” Gavin exclaimed, “You mean we’ll still be travelling tomorrow?”  
“Shut up Gavin” Michael hissed, “Maybe if you listened when we were planning, you wouldn’t have to ask so many goddamn questions.”  
Gavin looked down at his saddle, not saying anything else as they rode on in the increasing darkness.  
After a while, they came upon a large tree that had peculiarly grew into a sort of arch shape- it’s branches stretched over the ground like giant fingers reaching towards them.  
“We should set up camp here,” Lindsay said, “During the night it’s nearly impossible to see through those branches, and by the time it’s light enough to see, we’ll already be on the move.”  
Michael nodded and the others tied their horses to the tree, then crawled beneath its branches. Gavin nearly tumbled inside, as he had to fight and whack his way in through branches that kept on scratching him.  
“I hate this bloody forest,” he grumbled at he plopped down.  
They all stared at him for a second, and then began their conversation as if he wasn’t there.  
“Should I start a fire?” Ray said, beginning to pull a knife from his side.  
“No,” Lindsay said quickly, “In case you’ve forgotten, we’re surrounded on all sides by dry branches, not to mention we’d draw too much attention to ourselves.”  
“Oh,” Ray said, looking disappointed that he couldn’t have been useful.  
“No worries,” she replied, “This forest stays warm during this time of year, so we’re not suffering without fire.”  
“So,” Michael said, “how much longer will it take for us to get to the stronghold?”  
“We should be there by noon tomorrow.”  
“Good.”  
“Well…” she said, “You should be there by noon. We’ll reach a river to resupply on water, and I’ll break off from you to go north east. But you shouldn’t need me from there. Just stay close by the stream, and follow it downstream until you reach a clearing not far from it. That’s where the stronghold will be.”  
Michael nodded again, and thanked her for her help. Gavin wondered how different their plan would have been if they hadn’t stopped to help her in the dungeons.  
After a few more minutes of running through plans, they decided it was time to sleep, with Michael taking first watch. He slipped out of the branches, carrying with him his sword, and a grim expression on his face. He hadn’t noticed Gavin climbing out behind him.  
“Michael?” He said quietly.  
He turned around quickly, giving Gavin a hard look, “You should be getting rest, Gavin.”  
“I know, but....I just wanted to say something first, I mean- find out if you’re okay.”  
“Okay? What do you mean by that?” Michael sounded annoyed, as if he’d rather be doing anything other than having this conversation.  
“It’s just,” Gavin said, taking a step closer, “You’ve been really angry lately. You’re always snapping at everyone.”  
“No, I’m always snapping at you. You never listen and we always have to fill you in on the details you should already now.”  
“Well- that never bothered you before…”  
“We were never doing anything like this before!” Michael hissed, “We’re not kids anymore Gavin, but you insist on acting like one. If you want to take down Ryan instead of just talking about it, you have to grow up and actually get shit done!”  
“Well maybe I could, if you actually gave me something useful to do!” Gavin could hear his heart pounding and feel his blood rushing. When had these fights with his friend become so common?  
“I can’t.” Michael said, suddenly sounding calm, “Not unless you prove that you’re ready to do more than just sit on the side and watch.”  
“But-” Gavin started, “I can, I promise, you just have to-”  
“Go to sleep Gavin,” Michael said quietly, yet forcefully, “You’re taking next watch, and you’ll need to be alert.”  
“Michael-”  
“That’s an order.”  
Gavin sulked back into their hiding spot, feeling even worse than when he had gone out. Cheering up Michael seemed to be getting harder to do every day. Sometimes Gavin wished they had never decided to take down that accursed Mad King in the first place.

…  
They set off again the moment Lindsay noticed the breaking of dawn. The sun had barely risen when they had set up their horses with their packs and provisions, ready to continue their trek through the woods. They went on for about eight hours, and when they heard the slight trickle of water, off in the distance, Gavin nearly jumped off his horse in excitement.  
They rode towards the sound until they reached the river, climbing off their horses to refill their water containers and wash their muggy faces. Gavin was just beginning to feel refreshed when Michael called out from behind him, “Don’t take too long- in fact we should be leaving right now.”  
He was already on his horse, taking a few sips of water and looking at their map impatiently.  
Ray, Gavin, and Lindsay began to climb up the slight slope beside the river to where their horses stood, waiting. Before they reached the top, an arrow whizzed by Ray’s ear, slightly slicing the cartilage.  
“Get down!” Michael yelled, but another arrow was already coming their way, and pierced it’s way into the chest of Michael’s horse. The steed went down with a cry, it’s legs twisting beneath it as Michael toppled off it’s back.  
Gavin looked across the river and saw archers on it’s opposite bank, wading their way through the river. He had to catch his breath when he looked again, for these archers were not human, and the animals hey were riding weren’t horses.  
They were pale white, and extremely skinny- as if skeletal. As they got closer, Gavin realized they were skeletal, and they rode on the backs of huge spiders- long tendrils of hair coming from their segmented legs, and a deadly look in their many blood red eyes.  
Gavin scrambled back up to his horse, pulling out his arrow, as Ray threw flaming knives across the water. Gavin hit each skeleton in the skull, causing them to fragment and break into pieces. Each target he hit dropped down dead, or at least mortally wounded, but many of Ray’s targets caught on fire- and kept going. Ignoring the smell of their own searing flesh and marrow just to get to their enemies. Even the ones in the river went on- but the coolness of the stream couldn’t put out the fires that Ray started.  
By this time, Michael and Lindsay were screaming at them to get back on their horses. Any weapon Lindsay once possessed had long since been taken away by the Mad King, and Michael’s sword was only useful in had to hand combat, not long range defense. If he wanted to help his friends, he’d have to wait for their enemies to be closer, and that wasn't something Michael wanted to happen.  
“Gavin!” He cried, “Ray, get over here NOW!”  
But the first spider had already made it’s way across the stream, flaming all the same. It turned it’s eight beady eyes to Gavin, scuttling towards him at full speed. Gavin stared wide-eyed, suddenly unable to move until the monster was already upon him.  
He felt a sharp pain in his knee, and nearly blacked out. He remembered hearing a pained scream, but couldn’t recall afterwards whether it had been him or Michael who had cried out. Maybe it was both.  
Then he felt the weight of the spider being heaved off of him, and a sickening squish as Michael drove his sword deep into it’s body. When Gavin tried to get up, he found that the ground seemed to fall away beneath him, and he was on his back again.  
He heard the sound of bones falling to the ground, and wet hisses and above all that, the angry yells of Michael, slaying nearly all of them by himself. When it was done, and the last spider lay frothing at the mouth until it’s bright eyes dimmed, Michael rushed over to Gavin’s side, shaking him by the shoulders.  
“Gavin?”  
“Hhnnggh…?”  
“Gavin, are you alright?” Gavin had never heard so much concern in Michael’s voice before.  
“Yeah, Michael I’m...ah...I’m fine. My leg just,” He winced as pain interrupted his speech, “My leg hurts really bad.”  
“Well no shit!” Michael nearly screamed, “You got bitten by a freaking spider! I told you to get back on your damn horse!”  
“Sorry Michael.” Gavin slurred groggily. Then his surroundings dimmed and he fell unconscious.

…  
When Gavin woke up again, they were still by the river. The only thing that felt worse than his leg was the knowledge that they had been slowed down because of him.  
“Immssuuhhh….” Was the first thing he drawled.  
“What did he say?” He head Lindsay’s voice.  
“Did he say something?” Michael.  
“I don’t know, but make him hold still, I’m not done fixing his leg.” Ray.  
When Gavin opened his eyes, he had to shut them immediately after- the bright sun had not dimmed, and he was soon aware of how hot he was. When he could bare the light again, he looked around and saw that he was leaning up against a tree, with Ray bent over his leg, and pouring a thick brownish liquid from a glass bottle into it.  
“S-Stop...Ray.”  
“What?” Ray looked up, with his eyebrows pinched together.  
“Hurts.”  
“I know, but it’s the only thing that cures bites from a spider that big.” He took a white cloth and rubbed it into Gavin’s wound, making him arch his back and cry out in pain.  
“Ray!” Michael growled, “Be careful!”  
Ray nodded, and put the towel aside. Gavin nearly fainted again when he saw it’s greenish colour. He closed his eyes, not wanting to see his wound. He felt Ray lifting his leg, and winced when his knee bended. When he opened his eyes again, he saw a long cloth being wrapped around it.  
“There,” Ray said, “It’ll be painful for you to walk on for a long time, but you’ll live.”  
Gavin nodded his thanks, sure that if he opened his mouth he’d vomit. Michael and Lindsay helped him up so that he could at least stand leaning against the tree.  
“So Michael,” he finally offered when he felt his stomach settle a bit, “Did you like my archery? I’d say I was pretty damn useful.”  
“Shut up, fool,” Michael said. But he was smiling. Gavin beamed when he saw the pride on his friend’s face.  
“ And I’m sorry,” he added, “That’s what I was trying to day. If I hadn’t delayed you, we could be much closer to the stronghold.”  
Lindsay smiled, “All that matters is that you’re okay.”  
Michael turned his head sharply in her direction, “Well, you seem to be awfully calm about this whole thing.”  
“Well he’s alive for one thing,” she said, “Isn’t that good?”  
“Good?” Michael yelled, “He was just bitten by a venomous spider!”  
“And he lived!”  
“Is that why you can feel so guiltless about this?”  
Lindsay froze, “What?”  
“Well,” Michael said, “Even a blind person could see that these weren’t some robbers or bandits we stumbled across in the forest.”  
“They were sent by the Mad King…” Ray murmured.  
“Exactly!” The suspicion in Michael’s voice was clear, “And it must have been so easy for them to have found us if they had one of their spies planning our every move.”  
“What?” Lindsay exclaimed, “Are you accusing me of spying for Ryan? The man who locked me in prison for being truthful? Why would I do that?”  
This time Ray answered, “Maybe he offered to spare your family when his armies march on the lands of the Rise Monger.”  
“No!” Gavin said, frantically. He had had quite enough of this finger pointing, “Guys, look at her! She’s telling the truth!”  
“But,” Michael said, “She planned for us to be here at this exact spot, on this exact day and Ryan’s men found us! Isn’t that telling you something?”  
“Yes,” he answered, “It tells me that the Mad King is extremely clever, and we’re not going to be able to beat him by turning on each other.”  
Michael stared at Gavin angrily for a long time, but in his eyes was the same respect he had for Lindsay on that night they met her in the tunnels.  
“Fine.” Michael muttered. He turned to Lindsay, looking conflicted over whether he should apologize, or exact revenge upon her for jeopardizing their lives.  
“Anyway,” Lindsay said, looking down at the ground, obviously offended, “This is where I take my leave.” She took her horse by the reins, preparing to wade with him through the shallow water.  
“Goodbye,” Gavin said, as no one else would make a friendly farewell, “I hope your family will be safe.”  
Lindsay nodded, and before leaving, she gave a grim warning. “Thank you friend, but you should take care to be careful as well. It was very fortunate that Ray came with the proper medical supplies to heal you, but you won’t always be that lucky. The Mad King...he’s…” she stopped for a second, trying to find the right words, “He’s an angry and vengeful god, that Ryan.” With that, she turned and waded away, and they watched her disappear into the trees on the other side of the river.  
“She’s right about one thing,” Ray said, disturbing the silence, “We should be very careful from now on. We have a very dangerous enemy, and it seems we’re on his hit list.” 

…  
Ryan sat in the planning room of his stronghold, which was not as large as the one in his tower, but was much more lavishly furnished. In fact it was less of a planning room, and more a place to receive messengers and send out orders. Twp of it’s walls were, and the other’s short. In the middle of one broad side was where the Mad King and his allies sat on thrones- with their leader in the middle, and on the highest point of a dais. Around them were carpets of rich scarlet, and from the walls were draped golden hangings and tapestries depicting the greatness of their leader.  
They had spent much of the day in this chamber, speaking with representatives from other lands. Presently, they were dealing with a rather annoying messenger from lands to the north.  
“Please, your highness,” the man squeaked, nearly pleading, “My King does not want war with you.”  
Ryan shrugged, looking indifferent, “That may be so, but I want war with him.” He smiled, “And I have a way of getting what I want.”  
The man squeaked again, “P-Please! My King only wishes long life and prosperity for-”  
“Your King?” Ryan shouted, his voice echoing through the room, “There is only one King, and that,” he stepped from his throne, and sauntered down the dais to lean over the small man, “Is me. Go and tell your King that!” He turned swiftly back around, sitting back down on his golden throne.  
“Do we have an understanding?”  
The man nodded, looking terrified, then tripped over himself as he ran from the room through the large wooden doors.  
“Next!” Jack called out, looking at the list of people they had scheduled to hear from that day.  
In walked two of Geoff’s guards, looking frightened as they shook in their armour. “We-we come with news of our latest mission.” The older looking one said.  
The Mad King suddenly looked up, truly interested with what they were about to say. “I’m listening,” he said, “But I better like what I hear.”  
The older one stepped forward, “W-Well, I sent a group of our skeleton archers since they are so often successful-”  
“-and?”  
“-and well...I received news from their leader that...well they succeeded in finding Michael and his allies. An-an ambush occurred and-”  
“And what?” Ryan exploded, his face red, and eyes bulging, “I do not enjoy when people waste my time, so you’d better get on with it!”  
Geoff looked up, trying to seem nonchalant, but his heart was pounding as he heard what had become of his son.  
“Well…” the man continued, “All his men...well..I mean- all our archers...they were slain.”  
Silence settled upon the chamber for a long time before Ryan answered.  
“What?” He asked quietly, gripping the arms of his throne until his knuckles turned white, “What do you mean they were slain?”  
“I- I mean they...well Michael and his men...they killed them all.”  
Ryan slowly rose from his throne, veins popping from his neck and forehead. He walked silently to the man who stood in front of him, now quite visibly trembling, “And what of Michael himself?” He leaned in so close that the messenger could feel his breath on his face.  
“He....he…”  
“He what?”  
“He got away...he escaped.”  
“With all his men?”  
“Well-”  
“WELL WHAT?”  
“There was a woman with them too...I believe she used to work for y-”  
Before he finished his sentence, he grabbed the man by the neck, and pulled him closer, “You mean they all got away?”  
“Y-yes! But please have mercy, your Highness, it was not I who lead this mission it was-” he was interrupted as Ryan jerked his hands sharply to the left, breaking his neck. The messenger fell lifelessly to the ground, and Ryan looked up had the other man, who seemed to be nearly in tears. He looked so young- probably fresh out of training, and just beginning to go out into the field. Just beginning to understand how important it was to know who had power, and to do your best to make them happy.  
“You,” Ryan said, pointing a finger at him, “Go to his second in command,” he nudged the corpse with his feet, “and tell him to inform his men to keep looking. And make sure that if Michael lives it’s because he’s in my possession. Do you understand?”  
“I-I am his second in command.”  
“Really?” Ryan mused, “I had no idea my generals were passing down power to such young men.”  
The next words were barely inaudible, “H-he’s my father.”  
“Oh?” Ryan asked, unphased, “Well let’s hope the apple falls a little ways from the tree then, shan’t we? Oh! And also, inform my men on the Rise Monger’s borders that the invasion begins now. There’s a certain little traitor who has family there, and I think it’s time we pay them a visit before she does.”  
The man nodded and bowed sloppily, nearly collapsing to the ground when he came so close to his father.  
“You are dismissed,” Ryan waved his hand and the broken young man left. He turned around to see Geoff and Jack staring at him in horror.  
“What?” Ryan asked.  
“Are you sure that was necessary?” Geoff asked.  
“He was just a boy!” Jack said.  
“And isn’t it merciful that I didn’t kill him instead?” Ryan said with a sickening grin, “His father may have been a snivelling coward, but he could become so much greater than that in the future.”  
Jack crossed his arms. “That’s avoiding the question.”  
The Mad King rolled his eyes, “Fine,” he said, “If you two must know. Yes it was necessary. I saw a weak link, and used the opportunity to eradicate him from the chain. You think I would have killed him for simply bringing bad news?”  
Neither of them answered.  
“Surely, you don’t think I’m that cruel!” Ryan said, feigning offense, “Anyway, if that were the case, I’d have hung you two a long time ago.”

…  
It was getting dark when they arrived at the stronghold. Gavin’s heart was racing when he saw it looming ahead in the distance.  
“It’s an arena,” Michael murmured as the got closer, “At least it looks like one.”  
It was large, and rounded, with many side doors that would have been guarded by soldiers. They left their horses hidden in the trees, staying close to the edge of the forest as they came upon the clearing over which the stronghold stood. It looked surprisingly empty, even if the Mad King wasn’t there. Gavin guessed there still would have been guards or something, just in case. He supposed it would make their jobs easier, but the silence didn’t sit well with him.  
“Wait guys,” Gavin said, “I have a bad feeling about this.”  
Michael turned to him looking slightly annoyed, “Gavin, I told you, if your leg is still hurting, you can stay out here until-”  
“No,” he said, “I mean- this whole thing seems sketchy. Why is the place so empty?”  
“Because no one’s here, dunce.”  
“But- shouldn’t there be guards, or at least something?”  
Michael looked over at the stronghold, and for a second, Gavin saw hesitation in his face. It was quickly replaced with resolution. “We came all this way Gavin, I’m not turning back just because you have cold feet.”  
“It’s not cold feet, Michael it’s just-” but he wouldn’t listen. I believed- he wanted to believe that this time it would work. So he went ahead anyway, and they had no choice but to follow- Gavin a bit more slowly, trudging on despite the pain in his knee. After skirting it’s circumference for a while, they found an underground entrance that led to a flight of stairs back up- presumably to the centre of the stronghold. At the top of the stairs was a door, and Michael pushed his way quickly through.  
When they got inside, they found that Michael’s suspicions had been right- it was an arena, or at least it used to be. They had just walked into the performance area, and Gavin noticed that there was much of what appeared to be dried blood on the floor.  
There was dim light coming from a skylight above, but the walls were dark, and they couldn’t see much. “Hey Ray,” Michael said, “Can you give us a little light? We should find somewhere to hide when- Ray?” Michael looked and only saw Gavin at his side.  
“As a matter of fact, I can give you some light.” Came Ray’s voice from behind. Michael whipped around to find Ray with a lit dagger- pointed right at Michael’s throat.  
“Ray?” Gavin asked fearfully, “What...what are you doing?”  
“Sorry,” Ray said, the words sounding laboured as they came out, “But you were a little off when you suspected Lindsay.”  
“You...you’re with Ryan?” Michael asked, looking both angry, and truly hurt, “Why? What could possibly make you want to help someone like him?”  
“What about everything you said back at the hut?” Gavin asked, “I thought you hated people like Ryan.”  
A voice came very suddenly from above, laughing almost maniacally. None of them had to see the source to know it was Ryan. Behind Ray, on a level above, two torches were lit- one on either side of large chair. On it sat Ryan, flanked by Geoff and Jack.  
Ray noticed that Ryan looked grander than usual- his cape was darker and lined with fur; his new crown was large and jewel encrusted, having what seemed to be the horns of some sort of bull sticking out at either side.  
“My, My,” he said, sounding very entertained, “I have been waiting very impatiently for this. You two arrived here much slower than we did.”  
“But-” Gavin sputtered, “How did you three get here so fast?”  
Ryan titled his head and smiled, “The same way your ‘ally’ led you out of my tower.”  
Ray kept his gaze trained on the ground, unable to look at the hatred filled glare Michael was giving him.  
“Guards!” Jack called, and soldiers began to stream in- much more than had been used the last time.  
Two at a time grabbed Michael and Gavin, forcing their hands behind their backs to be shackled.  
“Take them to the dungeons,” Geoff said, trying to suppress his voice from cracking, “And have them flogged.”  
Before they were taken down, Michael looked Ray in the eye, making sure he heard every word, “We trusted you.” he spat.  
Ray’s eyes were filled with sadness as Gavin and Michael were taken away, “Yes, you did. And that was your first mistake.”


	5. The Pit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael makes a confession, Ray is paid his due, and the Games begin.

The Pit

Gavin had completely lost track of time, and he felt as if he had been trapped for both an eternity and just a matter of minutes. The Mad King’s dungeons were even more guarded beneath the arena. Presumably Gavin and Michael were now chained in a cell similar to one a gladiator or warrior would be locked in- so they wouldn’t escape their mandated fight to the death. But their cell had been stripped of any furnishings- no bed, no mirror, nothing that would imply hospitality in the barest essence of the word. The walls were not of the same stone from the tower, but of strange black bricks that would not show the slightest signs of damage even when Michael pounded on them with all his might.  
By now, his fists were bleeding lumps of flesh, and his wrists were swollen and chafed from the shackles. They sat, slumped on opposite sides of the cell, their chains bolted to the walls. There were no windows in the dark room, and a single torch lit their miserable hole.  
When they had first been thrown in, Michael spent a good hour -or so Gavin assumed given that his stress took away his ability to estimate the passage of time- screaming at the top of his lungs and clawing at the seamless walls until his fingernails bled. Now he sat in a defeated lump, breathing heavily and awaiting the torture the Mad King cruelly hung over their heads, giving no indication of how long they had left to wait.  
Gavin had spent the next little while trying to come up with something to say- something to make Michael feel better. One thing was certain- they would both die. But if this was where their adventures ended, he didn’t want the close of their tale to be sad and pathetic. If Michael would die, he deserved a proud death in high spirits.  
“M-Michael?” Gavin asked quietly. The moment he heard his own voice, and how broken it sounded, he regretted even opening his mouth. Michael had to sit across from him, hearing him like that without the ability to do anything about it.  
There was a long silence before Michael answered, “I’m...I’m so sorry Gavin.” His head was down so that his curling hair hid his face. His breaths were short and fractured. This was a state Gavin had never seen Michael in before. Was the Mad King’s torture so terrible that it even struck fear in Michael’s brave heart?  
No. Michael was never afraid.   
At least not for himself.  
“This...This is all my fault. I led you to this. I’m-” Michael took a shattering breath, as if on the verge of tears, “I’m a terrible leader. We’ve lost everything and now we can’t escape.”  
“Michael, no!” Gavin refused to hear any of this, “You were an amazing leader Michael, and an even better friend. If anyone’s to blame, it’s Ryan for starting this whole mess.”  
Michael looked up slowly, and Gavin could sense a different fear in his ally’s eyes. The fear that he would not be forgiven, “So... you don’t blame me?”  
“Of course not!” Gavin found that he had to force a smile, and a little laugh behind his words. This had been so easy once. “Michael you are the bravest man I’ve ever known.”  
For a second, his friend’s eyes lit up, but his face fell immediately afterwards, “Yeah well...look where our bravery has gotten us. Locked up in this damn cell.” With the last words, he slammed his elbows into the wall with frustration, wincing when he heard the crack that resulted from his fruitless efforts. “More like stupidity.”  
“I’d still be a coward if it weren’t for you,” Gavin said, refusing to let it end this way, “You taught me to be brave. I’d rather be a dead hero than a cowardly victor like Ryan. He manipulates people to get what he wants, and it may have gotten him far, but that’s not real strength. Not like the strength you have.”  
Michael smiled feebly, “You really did impress me at the river. I mean, you could have died from that snake bite but you fought them all the same.”  
“I wanted to protect you.”  
Silence again.  
Michael looked away, obviously uncomfortable. “Gavin-” he started, looking pained, “I…” then came a sigh, “Thank you, fool.”  
“No problem you big idiot.” This time, the smile that came was genuine.  
“And thanks for trying to make me feel better,” Michael added, “You know...about the whole dying thing.”  
“Yes,” Gavin said slowly looking around at their bleak environment, “There’s still that. I suppose we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.” He thought bitterly that he would die how he lived- stepping foolishly and blind without thinking of what would happen in the future.  
“I guess my only true regret is trusting Ray,” Michael said with a deep breath, “If it wasn’t for that lying little-” he exhaled, remembering that his anger could be directed towards no one, “None of this would have happened. We wouldn’t have gotten caught at the tower, we wouldn’t have been thrown in jail-”  
“But we also wouldn’t have freed Lindsay!” Gavin added, but Michael wasn’t listening.  
“Those assassins,” he continued, “Wouldn’t have gotten to us! You...you would have been safe. And we wouldn’t be trapped in this freaking cell.” Michael rested his head on the wall, looking devoid of energy.  
“Then,” Gavin said, “I suppose you’re really not to blame then.”  
“But I trusted him.”  
“And so did I. But if we just keep thinking of who to place blame on, these last moments will be just as miserable as Ryan wants them to be,” Gavin was surprised at himself for speaking with such conviction, but he took one leap further anyway, “Besides, if I’m going to die...If we’re both going to die- I’m glad we’ll be together.”  
Michael stared at him for a long time before taking a shaky breath, “Gavin-”  
“Yes?”  
“I-”  
“You what, Michael? You keep avoiding what we both know is true. What’s the worst that can happen now that we’re about to die?”  
“Gavin-” he said again, trying to hide the pain in his voice, “You know it’ll never work.”  
“Of course I bloody know that!” Gavin yelled, feeling tears welling up in his eyes, “We’re about to die, Michael! This is our last day together, can’t you find what’s left of your once great bravery and tell me what we both know?”  
“But…” Michael protested, “I’ll never be able to-”  
“I don’t care.” Gavin said. Which was of course, a lie. There were many things they’d never be able to do, new or otherwise, and it was tearing him apart. “Just...please…”  
Michael bit his lip to stop it from shaking, “I love you Gavin.” The words came out as barely a whisper, but they echoed in the empty cell, and they were all Gavin needed.  
He nodded and leaned back, turning away so Michael couldn’t see his tears. How could it be that in a time of such terrible fear and pain, one could be so content? Ryan could do whatever he wanted now, because Gavin was ready to die a million times over, so long as the knowledge of Michael’s whispered confession was always in his heart.  
“I love you too, Michael.”  
Just as Gavin was beginning to feel joyous, a guard threw open the door of their cell. He had a spiked club in his hand, and a sword at his side.  
“You,” he said coldly to Michael, “Get up.”  
Michael glared at him, making no effort to move from his current position.  
“I said get up!” For good measure, the guard kicked his side with his steel toed boots, and laughed when he doubled over. Gavin rushed forward only to be dragged back by his chains, seeming to forget once again that there was nothing he could do.  
Finally, the guard simply dragged Michael up by the shoulder, bringing their faces close together, “The King has ordered me to bring you to The Pit for a...well,” the man smiled darkly, “let’s just call it a show.”  
“The Pit?” Michael asked, “But I thought-”  
“That you’d get a simple execution? You overestimate your luck.”  
“And what about me?” Gavin piped up, ignoring the frantic look Michael gave him, “You’re just going to leave me here?” He dreaded the idea of Michael dying while they were separated. The last moments they had should have been with each other.   
The guard shrugged, “I don’t know what our King has in store for you, but whatever it is, I doubt you’re worth the effort.”  
Michael may have been shackled, but there was still a great deal he could do considering the length of his chains. With a mighty thwack, he sent his elbow flying into the guard’s face, smirking when he saw the blood begin to trickle from his nose.  
The guard on the other hand, didn’t find this very amusing, and once he regained himself, drove a gauntlet covered fist into Michael’s gut. “You know,” he said slowly, “The King did tell me to bring you to The Pit in one piece- but he also said it was okay to break you just a little if you were...uncooperative.”  
With a look of satisfaction on his face, he hefted up the club, gleaming with it’s many spikes and points, and before Gavin’s shout escaped his lips, he turned Michael roughly around and drove the club into his back. Blood spattered onto the floor, and the club came back caked in thick redness and the occasional bit of flesh. Michael could barely control the tortured cry he let loose, biting his lip until he could taste the sharp metallic flavour of blood in his mouth.  
“Wha- what is that?” he asked in pain. Before he could turn around he received another beating to the back, and was further immobilized.  
“What?” The guard asked with a mocking tone to his cocky voice, “The Mighty Mogar’s never been affected by a weapon like this before?” He leaned in, almost whispering in Michael’s ear, “That’s because it’s blades were cooled in venom. You won’t last for more than a few hours.” He swung again, and this time Michael fell to his knees, unable to stay on his feet. A blow, or two later, the guard gave Michael time to breathe -which was made painful when the ripped flesh of his back expanded- and Gavin noticed that he had been sobbing the whole time. He had been completely unconscious of himself while watching Michael suffer so horribly.  
The guard pulled Michael to his feet once more, unlocking his shackles from the wall, then attached them to a sort of chain leash by which he could be led.  
“Wait!” Gavin called again, trying to speak through his tears, “What- what about me?”  
“I already told you,” The guard said, dragging Michael along like an animal, “You’re hardly a threat. Perhaps our King will just leave you here to brood and rot.”

…

Ryan stood in the now dimly-lit audience chamber, finalizing plans with one of his army generals while Jack stood at his side, checking a number of tasks to be completed on a schedule.  
“Ryan,” he said, interrupting him and sending the general away, “We’ve kept the prisoners captive for too long. If they have enough time to escape again…” his voice trailed off, leaving the events of their previous encounter to stand as proof for his statement.  
“Oh?” Ryan said, obviously not paying attention, “and what do you suggest?”  
“They should be executed immediately.”  
Ryan turned his head surprisingly fast, considering the large bovine crown atop his neat hair, “But then we’d have to cancel the little...ceremony I’ve put together!”  
“The what?”  
The Mad King sighed, “Jack, have you really taken no notice of the hundreds of people who have recently streamed into The Pit?”  
“There are hundreds of people here?” Jack asked angrily. He had spent all his time in the audience chamber directly after seeing the captives sent to the dungeons.  
“But of course, maybe even thousands,” Ryan said, being at once playful yet dark, “And it would be such a pity to send them all home after promising such a good show.”  
“But-”  
“Don’t worry Jack, you may not see it, but I’m killing two birds with one stone. First of all, ridding my kingdom of that belligerent Michael is exactly what I intend to do. But having his death drawn out and publicized will not only show how powerless he truly is, but more importantly what happens to those who cross my path. The entire kingdom will be speaking of his death, and anyone with good sense will not dare try anything like he did ever again.”  
Jack exhaled grudgingly, “I suppose you have a point…”  
“Of course I have a point, dear Jack, I always do. Now run along a take your seat at the Pit while I prepare everything. Also, please find Geoff. The last time I saw him he was muttering to himself, holding a flask of some kind. Confiscate it immediately, and tell him that I allow only sharp minded men at my side.”  
Jack narrowed his eyes, still not comfortable with his ally’s habits. But he finally turned away, walking out the door and leaving Ryan by himself. A moment later, a dark figure appeared in the large doorway of the chamber. The Mad King looked up, but already knew who it was. A young man clad in all black a with a red cape- though not as magnificent as his own- walked in, looking as if a heavy burden had been placed upon his shoulders.  
“Ah, Ray!” Ryan said with a smile, clasping his hands together in front of him, “I’ve been meaning to talk to you! You’ve been quite effective, and I must say- you’re more cunning than I thought.”  
Ray nodded, but he didn’t look particularly happy about this compliment. He kept his eyes on the floor, and his voice low as he spoke, “Thank you for agreeing to help me.”  
The Mad King nodded, and pulled from his waist a small brown bag that been attached to his belt. “And here is your much deserved reward,” he handed the bag to him, “that idiot and his pet fool won’t be causing a ruckus in my kingdom any longer. And it’s all thanks to you.”  
Ray took the bag and opened it, finding that it was filled with golden coins and even a few jewels.  
“There’s much more where that came from,” Ryan said, “If you’re willing to help me in the future.”  
“Of course,” Ray replied simply, “But you must help me first.”  
“Excuse me?”  
“You promised that you would help me punish the man who killed my family! I’ve done all your grunt work, now I expect to be paid back!”  
Ryan’s eyebrows lowered and he took a menacing step forward, “I have paid you back. Just look at that fortune in your hands if you want proof.”  
“I don’t give a damn about that!” Ray yelled, tossing the bag to the ground, “You gave me your word, and now you have to honour it.”  
Ryan’s teeth clenched and he lunged forward, grabbing Ray’s throat and pulling him closer. The veins in his own neck began to bulge as he hissed at his ally, “And what do you know of honour? The entirety of your last task depended upon your ability to lie.”  
Ray clawed at the Mad King’s hands, trying to pry them from his throat, “But…” he croaked, beginning to struggle for air, “That’s what you wanted.”  
“Indeed!” Ryan said, “And what I also wanted and expect is that you will allow me to have my time with the prisoners before we embark upon your little blood feud. Is that clear?”  
Ray nodded as much as he could, and Ryan let go of him, allowing him to fall to the ground, gasping and choking for air. As he reached for the bag of gold, Ryan put a foot over it, bending at the waist so that his face was closer to Ray’s.  
“You know something Ray?” he said in a quiet voice, “You treated those two awfully nice- patching up the fool’s wounds, and even allowing them to use my portal to escape from me the first time.”  
“Yeah well…” Ray muttered, “I had to play along otherwise they’d have suspected me.”  
“Hmm.” Ryan said, sounding completely unconvinced, “That was certainly very clever of you.”  
“Like you said,” Ray snatched the bag from under Ryan’s weight, “I’m more cunning than you think.” He got up and brushed himself off, making for the large doors. Before he pushed one open, he heard Ryan call to him one more time.  
“Ah, Ray, before you leave to...wherever it is that you spend your time when not in my service, I’d just like to remind you of who’s side you are on.”  
“What?” Ray asked, stopping in his tracks, but making no effort to turn around.  
“You do not have the face of a man who triumphed over an adversary, Ray. Instead you look like a sad dog who just betrayed his master.”  
“I-”  
“I am your master Ray. Not Michael, and not anyone else. Any guilt you feel for your actions is misguided, and now is not the time to develop a conscience. It’s not as if you ever had one, and I have no patience for associating myself with guilt ridden men.”  
At this Ray turned to look him in the eye, “Then why are you in league with King Geoff?”  
Ryan scowled, slightly tilting his head down so that the shadows covered most of his face, “Get. Out. You’ll be called upon when I have use for you.”  
“Or when you decide to help me avenge my family,” came the even reply.  
Ryan took a single step toward the door, putting a meaningful hand on the hilt of a sword attached to his belt, “I will say this once more. If you value the luxury of having a head attached to your neck, I suggest you leave before my already wavering patience wears thin.”  
At that, Ray turned and disappeared behind the door, leaving the Mad King alone with his thoughts

…  
. 

 

“Ladies and Gentlemen, I am glad to welcome you to the event of the decade. On this very night, the most traitorous man in the entire realm will be punished for his crimes.” Ryan stood before his throne, clad in his grand new robes and extravagant crown. Jack stood beside him with his hands behind his back, watching the cheering crowd below. He silently wondered how Ryan’s neck could support such a heavy load, but he supposed it had been desensitized to burdens thanks to the bulk of his ego.  
Geoff sat on the chair to the left, with a bottle of tawny coloured liquid clutched lazily in his hand. Jack wanted to chide him for his blatant disregard of his outward appearance, but the bloodthirsty crowd was too riled up about their charismatic King, and the oncoming spectacle of violence they were about to witness.  
Before anything meaningful could be done, The Mad King went into a long and self gratifying speech on the reckless and tyrannical grip Michael’s family once had on the land, and how Ryan so selflessly gave up the “humble” position of court official so that he could free the people from their yoke of despotic servitude. The crowd below shrieked with applause and love for their king, seeming to forget just how unrelenting the grip this new king ruler on them. From where Ryan sat, they looked like dolls- or the shiny pieces of a chess set thanks to the golden light which reflected brilliantly from the iridescent ceiling. What a perfect picture- the King watching over his faithful pawns.  
Down below, on the perimeter of the round, and dusty Pit, a door from one of the tunnels opened. Five guards- two leading, and three behind- led the first prisoner in. Michael was bound in chains, his hunched posture revealed the blood seeping through his now torn shirt and razed back. He had a few more wounds as well- redness poured from his now crooked nose, and an eye was beginning to swell. Presumably the five guards had beaten him up a bit more as they were escorting him to the arena.  
When the crowd saw him, there was silence for a moment. For just a brief second, some of the older and more well off of the guests remembered this prisoner as a happy young prince. A loud but kind-hearted little boy who once roamed his castle before it had been stolen from him. Before the Mad King had risen from obscurity. But the moment soon passed, and any pity or remorse for his imminent pain was soon drowned out by blood lust and fear of their ruler.  
Michael was then left in the centre of the Pit. The chains were removed, and his sword was thrown roughly to his feet. He stood completely still, head down, eyes black smudges against a bloody and unmoving face. He ignored the jeers of the spectators.  
Ryan rose angrily from his throne, and pointed a black gloved finger at him, “You! Pick up your sword, and brace yourself for your first fight.”  
There came no reply.  
The Mad King grit his perfect white teeth, his face a sickeningly handsome grimace, “Perhaps I should bring out that little prince of yours. I wonder how long he’d last watching you get tortured again. Or perhaps being tortured himself…”  
Geoff let out a small alcohol induced yelp. Jack glared at him, but it was of no importance. The eager audience paid little attention to the two minor kings at Ryan’s side. People rarely did.  
The King’s threat seemed to have moved Michael. He bent to the ground, almost falling as his weight shifted. He grasped at his sword a few times before successfully gripping the hilt, which entertained the crowd greatly. As he rose back to his feet, the Mad King laughed, turning back to sit on his throne. With his elbows resting on it’s arms, he brought his bridged fingers to his face, which looked wholly devilish thanks to the shadows cast by the flickering torches at his sides. The pernicious expression was made greater by the wide smile that spread across his thin lips as he called to the guards below:  
“Release the wolves!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is about the halfway mark through the story. How has it been so far? I'd love to hear what you think!


	6. The Pit X

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael fights an array of monsters before he's forced to confront his greatest weakness.  
> Ray deals with his guilt by way of epiphany....and a bit of violence.

Michael could barely stand upright. His muscles were either numb or torn- his face was broken and bleeding, and his vision was impaired by the light of the golden ceiling and warm blood trickling into his eyes. The deafening crowd was all he could hear, save the sluggish beating of his own heart. But he was not afraid.   
As the guards slowly opened two large wooden doors on the other end of the Pit, the noise of growling could soon be heard. The growling of monsters that wanted to tear him from limb to limb- to devour his flesh. But when his pulse quickened it was not out of fear, it was for anticipation of the fight. This entire mission had been all sneaking and skulking like cowards. Now he would finally fight. The crowd above seemed to think he was doomed. That he wouldn’t last for very long.  
But there were wrong. They didn’t know that pain made him stronger. That when fearsome creatures came charging at him, it only made him braver. They didn’t know that he could be a fearsome creature himself- at least for some time.  
He’d be able to put up a fight for much longer than they expected. Of course that was exactly what they wanted. Oh, what a show they were in for. Perhaps the Mad King would be so pleased with Michael’s extravagant death that he’d spare Gavin. Maybe keep him as a court jester. Michael shook the idea from his head, unable to decide if death or lifelong servitude was a worse fate for his....for his whatever Gavin now was to him.  
The growling became increasingly louder, and finally the first wolf emerged from the tunnels, red eyed and frothing at the mouth. It’s fur was silvery grey, it’s claws black as night, and it’s white teeth were bared in a menacing snarl. As it bounded towards Michael, he realized that it was much bigger than any wolf he had fought before. Soon two others came barking beside it- they were both around five feet- a size Michael had bested as a child. But their leader was much bigger. At six- almost seven feet tall, it towered over Michael. No. It did not tower over him. It was running right towards him.  
He braced himself for the impact, planting his feet in the dusty floor, and tightening his grip on the sword. It’ll be simple, he thought, at the last second I’ll raise my sword to pierce the underbelly of the wolf. The wolf was almost upon him. It was a simple plan. It leapt in the air. After the leader was killed, he’d go after the other two. It was above him now. He thrust up his sword- and suddenly the world spun around him. He found himself bruised and on his back.  
Well. It had been a simple plan.  
Apparently the wolf had not been interested in killing him right away. Or at least if it did, it maneuvered away from the sword at the last second. Either way, Michael was dealing with a beast more intelligent than the others in it’s pack. He got back to his feet, readying to plan another offensive move- when he was slammed to the ground again- this time by one of the smaller wolves. The crowed cheered as he fought to grab his sword while being mauled. Finally he grabbed the hilt and brought it down hard on the skull of the wolf. A crack could be heard, followed by a whimpering. With another swing of the arm, he shoved the blade of the sword into it’s head, pulled it out, and pushed the now lifeless body off of himself.  
As he got up, the redness in the animal’s eye began to fade. But there were still the other two to take care of. Michael could feel himself gaining strength, as he always did when in a fight. Even so, it seemed time to employ a more defensive strategy.  
The smaller wolf seemed ready to pounce- it growled at him, taking small steps with every breath. The large wolf, on the other hand, waited patiently- it wouldn’t attack him until the end- not unless it needed to. Michael suddenly had an idea.  
He suddenly ran towards the smaller, stupider wolf, charging forward and yelling loudly. It didn’t question his attack and swept a sharp claw in his direction. He dodged, getting a scrape on the thigh, but emerging altogether unharmed. As he rose from his roll, he ran in the direction of the large wolf, and the smaller one followed. Michael dashed to the feet of the bigger canine, slashing at it’s ankles. The wolf howled and swiped angrily at him, just as the other wolf came running after its prey.  
Michael rolled out of the way at the last moment, and the smaller wolf was hit square in the side of the chest, and thrown across the Pit. As the monster realized that it had been tricked, Michael ran to the dying wolf to finish the job. The were three extremely deep wounds, and blooded seeped into it’s once shining fur. The light in its eyes were already beginning to fade. But Michael hated leaving loose ends. The stab to the wolf’s heart took little effort, and as he pulled the out, the final foe walked slowly towards him.  
The audience was now hysterical, pounding on the floorboards with their feet, and punching the air with their fists. They were ready for Michael’s blood. He looked up at Ryan, his figure hazy through Michael’s tired eyes. The King was sitting forward eagerly on his throne, smiling so wide it looked as if his face had been sliced with a knife.  
He turned back to the huge wolf as it look a slow but swift step towards him.  
Think Michael.  
He urged himself to come up with something. Blood was surging through his veins, and the cogs of his mind seemed to stand still.  
Do something. Anything.  
He didn’t move. The wolf was closing in, snarling with anticipation for it’s next meal. But it didn’t attack. It waited for Michael to make the first move. But he didn’t. He stood still, planning out a dozen attack plans in his mind and discarding them all just as quickly. The wolf was just too big- too quick. He needed to think of something more cunning than simply running blindly in with his sword, but he had no time.  
In the fraction of a second it had taken Michael to ponder all of this, the wolf had given up its angry patience. It lunged at him, grasping his left arm with it’s razor sharp teeth, digging deep into his flesh. Before Michael could even cry out in pain, he was flung into the air, the stadium around him spinning once again. He tightened his right hand, making sure the sword was still in his grip.  
Soon he felt himself begin to fall. His stomach clenched with excitement and he suddenly knew exactly what had to be done. With his wounded left hand, he held on to the sword, pushing it at an angle beneath him. The wolf was opening it’s dark maw, welcoming its next meal. But when Michael landed, he pushed off of it’s snout, leaping forward into its face. He twisted his body to the right, and drove the sword into its eye, clenching his teeth to avoid biting off his tongue as the beast reared back with a pained howl.  
It fell into it’s back, and Michael rolled away with his sword covered in a bright red sludge. When he regained his balance, he turned to see the wolf limping towards him on three legs, using a forepaw to cover the mutilated eye, from which oozed the viscous innards of its once extant optic orb. But even in this state, the wolf was a terrifying creature.  
Michael ran at it again, allowing himself to play into its hands once more. The wolf had learned from the previous mistake and swiped at him instead, keeping the warrior far from the remaining precious eye. Instead of running or ducking, Michael jabbed out his sword in front of him, piercing the wolf’s grasping claw as it grabbed him. It almost seemed to take the beast a few moments to realize the impalement of its extremity before it brought Michael high into the air with a guttural growl. It began to bring its paw back down- it meant to crush him. But before the great silver arm moved once more, Michael twisted the sword as hard as he could, forcing the animal to release it’s iron grip. He began to slip- but before falling, made sure to grab his sword, pulling it from between the freshly cleaved flesh of the wolf’s paw.  
The monster howled in response, and the audience howled along, though with excitement rather than pain.   
Sick bastards, Michael thought.  
The wolf limped in his direction once more- paw mangled, eye oozing, mouth set in an eternal snarl.  
Michael took a single step forward, and the wolf pounced, snapping at him wildly. Michael sidestepped, but found himself in front of the body of the first dead wolf. When the growling snout came in his direction again, he tripped on the corpse and found the giant wolf’s teeth digging into his side. The wolf tossed its head back with a mighty roar and swallowed him whole.  
The crowd went silent.  
They had been cheering ecstatically, even rooting for this unbelievably strong gladiator. He had been entertaining not because he cowered in a corner like most doomed prisoners, but because he fought to the very end.  
The Mad King rose from his seat, face plastered in what was either a joyous smile or menacing grimace.  
“This!” He yelled, sweeping his hand to the centre of the Pit, “is what happens to those who oppose me! Take this as a lesson to any who-”  
He stopped, interrupted by a sudden gasp from the crowd. The wolf had been galloping wildly around the circular arena, howling in it’s victory. But the beast had stopped, coming to a sudden halt and almost crashing to the ground. It twitched madly, digging its claws into the ground and arching its back.  
“What’s going on?” Jack asked, stepping closer to the rail so that he could get a better look at the events below.  
Ryan stared down, hands grasping the railing until his knuckles turned white. His eye twitched.  
“He’s alive!” Came a foolish happy sounding cry from a spectator.  
Beneath the skin of the wolf, a sharp point moved around, scraping at the animal’s innards. It suddenly burst through, revealing itself to be Michael’s sword, covered in guts and gore. The wolf howled in horror as it felt itself being cut open from the inside, and the truly victorious fighter came sloshing out.  
Under normal circumstances, he should have been dead- or at least close to being so. But Michael had never been an ordinary person, and this ordeal had heightened his strength. He could have even killed the wolf sooner if not for the poison trying to eat away at his strength.  
With a final effort, Michael slashed at the wolf’s other paw, bringing it to a position that made it look as if it were bowing to its king. His sword went cleanly into its skull, and the crowd erupted into mad cheering when he pulled it out and held it triumphantly in the air.  
Ryan was livid, and tried as best as he could to hide his shock, and perhaps even fear behind a forced grin. He rose from his chair, ignoring how awed Jack, and even Geoff looked.  
“So,” the King bellowed in a grand voice, sweeping his arms in a wide gesture, “The Mighty Mogar is almost as strong as they say.” A dark smile crept across his face, this time natural and true, showing exactly how excited the Mad King would be in lengthening Michael’s suffering.  
“Let’s see if he’s up for another round.”  
At that moment Jack stepped forward, whispering briefly in Ryan’s ear. As he did so, the sadistic grin on the tyrant’s face only widened.  
“Yes,” Ryan said as his ally stepped back, “I think that’s a wonderful idea Jack.”  
He took a step towards the railing that kept him from tumbling into the Pit himself, putting two hands on it and leaning down so that Michael could see his face. “What do you say Mogar? Do you possess the power to go on? Do you have it in you to fight the most fearsome beast known to man?”  
Instead of a verbal response, Ryan received a murderous look and quite a rude hand gesture from the blood spattered victor. The crowd cheered in a frenzy, and The Mad King took that as his cue to increase the entertainment.  
“Guards!” He yelled at the top of his lungs, “Free the monster we keep locked away and chained! Free the horror that will bring Mogar to his knees! Free Edgar!”  
…  
The dark blanket of night had reached far across the land when Ray finally decided to head home. At first he had lingered for a while, half-hoping that Michael and Gavin would escape at the eleventh hour and do exactly had they had planned all along. But when it became apparent that no such coup would occur, Ray decided to leave, not wanting to witness to Michael’s inevitable and gruesome death in the Pit.   
He walked down a narrow path in the forest, intending to find the hidden portal one of Ryan’s men had been instructed to give him directions to. The bag of gold weighed heavily at his side, and he drew his cloak in, unsure of whether it was to hide his face from the increasingly chilly winds, or to stop the metallic clinking that was a reminder of his traitorous deeds.  
“I’m not a traitor,” he would think to himself from time to time, “In order to betray trust, it must be there in the first place, and deception had always been my intent.”  
When that didn’t work, he would try using his family as an excuse, “I must avenge their deaths. They didn’t deserve to die.” But then a voice would answer back, “Neither do your friends.” Very often he’d reply with, “They’re not my friends.”  
These excuses fell weakly against the howling winds, but everytime he remembered the true treachery of his deeds, he would try to make himself feel better by repeating the process. After a while the trail came to a crossroads, fragmenting west, and northeast. Ray hastily took out the map that had been given to him, which depicted a portal at the very place he was now standing. It wasn’t until he heard a rustling behind him that the thought of the Mad King’s deception crossed his mind.  
He turned too late, and was met by a sword held at his throat by a limber looking figure in all black.  
“Well,” Ray said dryly, “Isn’t this a crappy bit of deja-vu?”   
The assassin eyed him suspiciously through a mask that only revealed his eyes.  
“Oh come on!” Ray said, trying to figure out how to access a blade discreetly, “Why don’t you do it already?”  
The two beady eyes went to the sack of gold at his waist, then flicked back up to his own.  
“Oh you want this?” Ray asked, unclipping it and holding it in front of him, “Will you let me go if I do?”  
“Perhaps,” the killer said quietly, “perhaps I could...take this as payment for sparing your life, and you will flee as far as you can so that my employer knows nothing of this little exchange.”  
Ray shrugged, and dropped the bag so suddenly into the man’s hands that he jumped back, surprised by its weight. He hunched over it, beginning to count the coins, not even realized that Ray had raised a hand over his head.  
The gloved fist came down on the assassin’s skull with a thump, and he crumpled to the ground. Ray tackled him before he had a chance to get up, and proceeded to punch him repeatedly until the eye holes in his mask were gushing with blood.  
The man’s screams echoed in the dark forest, but fell on the ears of no one. Part of Ray was telling him that he was wrong to hurt this man- at least in this way. A clean, quick kill, or even knocking him unconscious would have been more merciful. But Ray was not feeling merciful. He had tricked the only people who could have possibly accepted him and now they would be slaughtered.  
After he had let a good deal of his anger out on the man paid to kill him, he decided to ask a very obvious question. “Who sent you?”  
The man beneath him was now struggling to breathe, and could barely put together his next words, “I-isn’t it obvious?”  
“Tell me!” Ray yelled, making the man wince. He wanted to hear the words. Wanted to admit to himself- force himself to come to terms with what had really happened.  
“Th-the King...King Ryan, he sent me to kill you. B-but it had been my plan to let you go all along! I swear, I nev-” The man’s words were cut short as Ray drove a burning blade into his forehead.  
“You work for a man like that,” he muttered, “You deserve to die.” He staggered to his feet, realizing the full extent of his hypocrisy, but he didn’t care. He knew he deserved death as well, but not before he made things right.  
He turned around, starting back on the path, this time in the direction of the Pit. It wasn’t until he had been walking for some time that he realized he had left the gold behind.  
…

 

Michael thought he would go insane. The past few moments had seemed at once a hazy trance, and chilling moments in which he never felt more alive. Apart from the crazed spectators, who were nearly in a drunken ecstasy, the very floor of the Pit was now shaking. At first he thought it was due to the stomping feet of those who had come to watch his death. But as the thundering noise grew louder, he began to realize that the rumbling really was coming from beneath the ground. More than a dozen guards had busied themselves with the task of either clearing the bodies of the wolves, or bringing this Edgar aboveground. Michael had never heard of such a monster before, and no menace could be inferred from it’s name, but the tremendous shaking was enough to convince him that he should not underestimate his new enemy.  
The gates of the large tunnel directly beneath the balcony where the Mad King stood began to open slowly. There was a silence for a moment- only a fraction of a second that felt like a dreadful eternity. Suddenly a scream of excruciating pain echoed forth from the darkness, and the most disgusting beast Michael had ever seen emerged from the tunnel with the the dead body of one guard hanging from it’s mouth, and another flailing in it’s arms and soon to be dead.  
Michael took a step back, surprised at his own hesitation. He had heard of Minotaurs before, and had even come across a few from a far distance. But this was more than a beast. This was an abomination.  
It’s legs were pale and humanoid- bulging with muscles and veins, it seemed to be caked in thick viscous fluid that oozed from its pores. The area where genitals would be found on a human body was completely covered in thick and matted dark brown fur. The dark coat continued up a thick torso, over bulging shoulders and arms, stopped short at the wrists -leaving two huge human looking hands- and covered the head. As Michael’s eyes reached the beast’s face, he suddenly realized why Ryan insisted on wearing horned crowns. Why the heavy taxation on peasants demanded such a large amount of bovine livestock. This monster, this thing was a symbol of his strength and tyranny.  
Its huge head roared so ferociously that even the cheering crowd fell silent- though for only moment. Its beady eyes looked uncannily human-like, it’s nose was wet and pierced through the middle with a ring designed for cattle. Its horns were huge and extremely pointed, the ends covered in blood and bits of flesh where it had presumably gutted the guards who had led it to the arena. It got down on all fours, huffing, and scraping at the floor with it’s hind legs as if it had hooves. Michael briefly remembered something about bulls, the colour red, and the fact that he was completely drenched in blood, before Edgar came rushing straight towards him.  
He had but a fraction of a second to roll away, and as he did so he contemplated one of his options. The name Mogar ran through his mind a few times, but he couldn’t bring himself to do what had to be done, especially since the consequences of his actions would be much greater than usual. Just a bit longer, he thought, just wait luck’s on your side. But how would he beat this beast? He wondered this briefly before it charged at him again, and he was forced to maneuver out of it’s way. He was amazed at the beast’s stupidity. It was so confident in it’s own strength and speed, that it thought it could win by simply charging at him with all its might. Never did it cross the beast’s mind to use a more complex strategy. The moment those thoughts occurred to him, the more Michael realized his own stupidity. Perhaps he was more like Edgar than he would’ve like to have thought. The Mad King had easily used his own strength against him- but couldn’t the same be done to Edgar?  
The beast charged once more, but this time, Michael didn’t swerve out of the way. He jumped onto the beast’s snout as he had done with the wolf, and prepared to drive his sword into its skull. But before he could even lift it in the air, he was shaken from his feet, and fell onto Edgar’s huge head. Michael heard his sword clatter to the ground, and cursed, now seeing that Edgar had wedged it’s horns into the wall. It put both its hands on the wall grunting madly as it tried to pry itself from its self-made trap. When it finally succeeded, Michael was thrown back, and had to grab at its horns to keep from falling off.  
Edgar struggled to get back up, but Michael pulled down with all his strength, attempting to plant his feet on the ground. Suddenly a large crack echoed throughout the Pit, and Michael was sent tumbling away, clutching a horn as big as a lance. Edgar finally got up and roared in a deep rage. Its entire body was now off balance, but even so, the monster was still terrifying. Once again, it charged in without thinking -Michael was beginning to wonder if its intelligent eyes were simply misleading- and drove itself into Michael with all its might. The warrior barely even had to do much other than hold the horn up and allow Edgar to kill itself. The horn went straight through its throat, and the wound began to gush with foul smelling blood. He felt a sudden swelling pride, knowing that he was about to bring this mighty beast down. But before he had a chance to celebrate, Edgar threw its head back, sending Michael flying into the air. He was caught by two huge meaty hands, and Edgar squeezed tremendously, in one last effort to kill Michael.  
It wasn’t long before Michael could feel one of his ribs cracking, and breathing was nearly impossible. The arena around him grew dark, and the cheering crowd seemed miles away. Maybe this death isn’t so bad, he thought this lump of meat is a more worthy opponent than some sneaky king. Though he could barely hear them, he knew the crowd was still cheering. A hero’s death. Surrounded by people who will tell this story for generations….  
Suddenly Michael fell to the ground, and Edgar fell with a huge thump beside him. The beast had died before killing him- only seconds before it’s own pyrrhic victory. Michael’s lungs burned terribly as he was finally able to suck in some air. He struggled to his feet, trying to wipe the black spots from his eyes. It was hard to see Ryan through his now impaired vision, but much deduction was not needed to estimate the Mad King’s wrath.  
The tyrant paced back and forth on the balcony, no longer making an attempt -or at least making a very poor one- to hide his anger from the audience.  
“Er-” Jack began, “he killed Edgar.”  
“Yes, I know he killed Edgar!” Ryan hissed back. The King was now seething, red faced and breathing heavily. “No one- No One has ever beaten Edgar.”  
Geoff looked on, completely bewildered, “Then how did he-?”  
“Nevermind that,” Ryan snapped, “He has killed my prized warrior, and for that he will pay dearly.”  
“But Sire,” Jack interjected, “He’s trapped and being forced to fight until he dies. We’ve nothing left to take from him but his life.”  
“No,” Ryan said, suddenly looking quite pleased with himself, “There’s so much more. There always is.”  
Jack stared at him, confused, but Geoff paled immediately. “You-you don’t mean-”  
“Oh yes, Geoff,” The King said, “It seems we have a use for your prodigal son after all.” He bent over the railing, making sure that the wounded warrior would be able to hear him, “I have a proposition for you, Mighty Mogar!” The audience hushed, eager to hear what would happen next.  
“I don’t-,” Michael began, doubled over and still struggling for air, “I don’t do business with cowards.”  
“Well,” Ryan said with a scowl, “As your accomplices have proven to be less than competent, and you have venom inside, rotting you away- I don’t think it’s your place to refuse.”  
Ryan took Michael’s grudging silence as allowance to continue, “How about this- either you kill the next fighter I put up against you- with your bare hands- and you’ll be executed right away. Or- you can refuse this deal and you’ll be locked up to be tortured slowly as the venom takes it’s toll.”  
Michael tilted his head to the side, perplexed, “But I’m already fulfilling the deal! I’ve beat every opponent you’ve put me up against! How is this any different?”  
“Well…” Ryan said, “I have a feeling that you’ll find this next opponent particularly...painful to go up against.”  
Michael tightened his fists, “I’ll kill anyone you put me up against.”  
The Mad King smiled, “I’m so glad to hear that, Michael.”  
…  
Michael curled and uncurled his fists, breathing heavily in and out. He had thrown his sword to the ground, showing that he needed no weapon, and now he’d need all the raw strength he could muster. It usually didn’t worry him when a new opponent was presented- mostly just wary and eager to take stock. But there was something about the way Ryan had described this new enemy- something that made him nervous. His nervousness only got worse as he had to wait for the new opponent, or rather- the cleaning away of his old one. Edgar was much too heavy for the guards to carry away, and the Mad King grudgingly allowed for his prized bull to be hacked to pieces, carried off, and taxidermied at a later time. In other words- the process was not a brief one.   
When gate at the far end of the arena finally began to roll slowly open, Michael braced himself for the oncoming fight. Once the opening was large enough to get through, he rushed his opponent. He no longer cared about tactics and caution. He would either beat this enemy or lose to them. Either way he’d go out fighting, and death was most definitely the conclusion to both outcomes.  
Yelling at the top of his lungs, he raised a hand over his head, ready to knock out the other warrior, or claw out their eyes, or cling to them or whatever needed to be done in order to cause them the most pain. His yelling fell silent and he nearly stumbled as he got to the opening of the gate. Standing there was a figure most definitely human- a male taller than Michael and significantly skinnier. His wrists were swollen and red from handcuffs. His posture was hunched from hours in a cell. His viridescent eyes were puffy from crying, and they widened as soon as they met with Michael’s.  
Michael froze, all of his rage and fighting will gone. He was suddenly, for one of the only times in his life, very very scared.  
The man at the gate took a cautious step forward, his voice wavering as he spoke, “Michael?”  
From above, Ryan could be heard laughing as he leaned down over the balcony with a treacherous smile plastered onto his face. “Well,” He said grandly, “Won’t this just be the fight of the century? The Mighty Mogar against his Foolish Prince Gavin.”  
…  
Gavin raised his fists up and assumed a fighting stance. Michael stood still, staring and unmoving.  
“Michael,” Gavin hissed, “You have to fight me.”  
“Wha-” Michael began, “I don’t...this isn’t”  
“Michael!” Gavin said again, pleading, “You have to. I heard what he’ll do to you if you refuse.”  
The warrior looked up at the Mad King, seething, “You son of a bitch! You said-”  
“I said,” The Mad King drawled, cutting him off, “That I’d put you up against an enemy you’d never be able to beat! Did I lie? Do you have it in you to kill your precious prince with your bare hands?”   
Beside Ryan, Geoff sucked in his breath, the full gravity of the situation finally seeming to catch up with him. “I-I” he started, “My liege...if I may be excused-”  
“No!” Ryan hissed back, “You will witness this, and you will not turn your head or close your eyes.”  
The former king hung his head, stepping back so that the sight of his son’s death would be as far away as possible.   
As soon as Michael looked back down, his was suddenly met with a fist to the face. He stumbled back, wiping the blood from his now bleeding nose. Once he regained his balance, he saw Gavin with blood trickling down his fingers.  
“Gavin-” he began,” You don’t have to-”  
“Shut up!” he yelled back, “If you don’t fight me he’ll torture you! He’ll torture both of us!”  
“But If we’re going to die either way-”  
“If we’re going to die either way, why not choose the one with less pain? If you kill me now, he’ll execute you quick and easy.”  
“How is that less painful?” Michael insisted, his voice beginning to break, “How the hell is killing the person I love any less painful than being tortured? If anything it’s worse!”  
“I hate to break up this heart wrenching dialogue,” Came Ryan’s voice from above, “but if you don’t kill him, I’ll have to torture your little prince as well. And I think we both know that his pain tolerance is much lower than your’s.”  
Michael breathed slowly in, shaking his head, “There has to be another way…”  
“There isn’t” Gavin said softly, “It’s okay Michael. I don’t blame you. For what it’s worth…you really were a great leader.”  
Michael nodded, even though he knew it wasn’t true. He had been a terrible leader. He had led one of the only friends he’d ever had to his own death. He had let his own stubbornness and pride get in the way of logical thinking. How was he ever delusional enough to think he could take down the Mad King?  
But Gavin didn’t look angry- not even scared. Just sad. So extremely sad with those beautiful green eyes. Michael would miss glaring into them as response to a stupid remark. He would miss searching for them in hopes that they were staring back. He took Gavin’s face in his hands, wiping away the tears that he had been fighting to keep back.  
“It’s alright Michael,” Gavin whispered again, resorting to breathy speech so that the sound of his voice would not reveal the tightness of his throat. “Just...just make it quick.”  
The Warrior nodded, shutting his eyes hard so that the burning tears would have no escape. When he opened his eyes again, his vision was blurry, and the crowd was completely silent. He wondered spitefully if they were now rooting for the star-crossed lovers doomed to die before them. He brought Gavin’s face to his lips, kissing his forehead in the softest manner he could manage. Let them see, he thought angrily, let this day haunt them all forever.  
Slowly, he exhaled tightening the grip on Gavin’s head and readying himself to turn his arms at the sharpest angle he could. The fastest and least painful death he could manage for his Foolish Prince. Just as he was about to break the young man’s neck, a whizzing noise could be heard from overhead, followed by an agonized scream.  
The two lovers both looked up to see that a blazing knife had found it’s way into the Mad King’s forehead. The blade had come from the direct opposite side of the Pit. But to hit such a target at so far a distance would take extreme skill and precision.  
As the crowd gasped and screamed in dismay, all eyes moved in unison to where the knife must have been thrown from. Hanging from a rope tied to the uppermost balcony on the other side of the Pit was a smiling young man in all black and cape…  
The audience looked in awe at the audacious assassin, but both Michael and Gavin knew exactly who he was. It was with a conflicted balance and anger and gratitude that they acknowledged the man who had saved them.  
Perhaps Ray was not so traitorous an ally after all.  
Gavin waved happily, and Michael nodded with grudging respect. The redeemed ally nodded back, but the smile on his face disappeared as quickly as he had descended. He pointed with a gloved finger at the Mad King, who had been swarmed by a horde of guards as well as his allies. But he had not fallen. Blood trickled from the wound in his head, but his eyes remained open.  
Somehow, some terrible way. The Mad King had survived.  
And it was now when he would become truly Mad indeed.


	7. Mad King Ryan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin and Michael have much to discuss, and Ryan's allies begin to have second thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...this chapter came out later than it should have. I wan't rushing to write or anything- in fact the story has been complete for a while. Guess I just forgot.  
> ...Oops.

Mad King Ryan

Jack was in complete shock. Only some feet below him, it seemed that they would finally reap the rewards of all of their work, just when some honourless renegade decided to return and change sides. Ryan was knocked backwards and howled in what was either a cry of pain, wrath, or both. But when Jack, Geoff and a handful of guards rushed to their king’s side, Ryan was not dead at all. The knife was lodged deep into his brain, but his eyes were moving about frantically, his teeth clenched.  
“Get off of me, you buffoons!” He cried, pushing them all off of him and getting a firm grip on the knife before pulling it cleanly out of his head. The king then dropped it quickly, as it began to sear into his hand.  
Geoff stared in awe, not knowing if he should feel relief, disgust, or fear, “How did you-”  
“Magic, Geoff!” Ryan muttered, “do you really think a simple flaming knife would be enough to kill me? I’m the most powerful man in the entire realm!”  
As they spoke, it was only Jack who saw what was happening down in the Pit. Ray had fully descended from his rope, and was now talking frantically to the prisoners. He seemed to be urging Michael to do something, but the warrior seemed hesitant to perform whatever task the assassin was asking of him. Gavin on the other hand, looked completely perplexed, so not much was different there.  
By the time Jack could gather his allies and the guards into sense again, the three rebels were already enacting whatever desperate plan they had concocted in the few seconds they had to spare. A mighty roar echoed through the Pit, followed by a flash, and what sounded like a thunderclap. When Jack and Geoff looked down below, what they saw astonished them, though Ryan was only annoyed at the fact that Michael was truly desperate enough to use this final tactic.  
Ray and Gavin stepped back as the flash faded away, and their ally began to hunch over, roaring with the same painful rage that Ryan emitted when stabbed- but much louder. So loud in fact that the very foundation of the Pit began to shake once more, but more violently than the previous times. Michael landed with his hands in front of him, shaking and beginning to froth at the mouth. Everyone was too shocked at the gruesome spectacle to react. The Mad King stared in awe, and the Foolish Prince looked on in horror.  
Michael’s bones then began to shift and grow, his face contorted both because of the drastic change occurring to his body, and the pain he endured when doing so. Thick, brown fur began to sprout from his skin, his eyes shrunk and darkened, his head widened and his body grew until none could recognize what was before them as Michael. The being before them was no longer a man, but a beast. A bear. The Mighty Mogar.  
“What are you waiting for!” Ryan yelled at no one in particular, “Stop them!”  
But no one moved. They were all frozen in shock.   
Gavin suddenly felt Ray pulling him towards the...thing that used to be his best friend. “Come on Gavin, we have to go.”  
“But-” he began, unable to form words, “What...what happened?”  
“Don’t you know the stories?” Ray asked roughly while shoving the Prince onto the bear’s back -Mogar was much bigger than any regular ursine beast- and then picking up Michael’s sword and climbing on himself.  
“But that’s all I thought they were!” Gavin began to say. He was cut off when Michael...or Mogar or whatever the beast was reared back with a mighty roar, and both Gavin and Ray had to grip fistfulls of fur to keep from tumbling off. Mogar then bounded away into the nearest tunnel gate, leaving the audience in complete silence.

…  
Ryan was in more than a rage. He was more than mad. He was going mad. The King rushed through the halls of the stronghold as hundreds of spectators at a time were led either to the centre of the Pit or to the many chambers surrounding it. And all for one purpose- to be executed.  
“Ryan,” Jack hissed at him, still in disbelief at what he was witnessing. He struggled to keep up with his king, who had the frustrating ability to travel the speed one usually would while running despite keeping one foot on the ground at all times. “RYAN!”  
The Mad King stopped and turned abruptly to look at him, giving Geoff enough time to finally catch up with them. “That’s King!” he spat, “Or Your Majesty, or Your Highness. You’ve gotten awfully comfortable with casualness, Jack.”  
“...You Majesty,” Jack seethed through grit teeth, “If you’ll allow me to speak freely-”  
“Requested denied.”  
“This is wrong!” Jack shouted, ignoring his king’s command, “These people are innocent! And there are thousands of them! Why would you condemn such a large amount of your people to death?”  
The King scoffed, “Large? A few thousand people is nothing compared to how large my kingdom has grown to become. Not to mention our inevitable success in conquering Rise Monger territory.”  
Jack could no longer hold his anger back. He was tired of being treated like a minor king. Tired of allowing such injustices to happen in front of his very eyes and not stop them. He was tired of this mad, mad King, “THEY’RE INNOCENT!” He yelled a second time, forgetting his usual polite behaviour as the loyal advisor.  
“They have witnessed three rebels succeeding against me!” Ryan countered. Somehow without even raising his voice to the same volume he managed to sound more threatening, “And you are right about one thing- there are a lot of people here. At least enough to spread horrid rumours throughout the kingdom of how King Ryan and his allies were outsmarted by a couple of children.”  
“You’re killing them for what they might do?”  
“I’m killing them for what they most definitely will do! Don’t you see Ryan? I’m doing this to preserve the image of our triumvirate!” He then attempted to put a reassuring hand on Jack’s shoulder, only to be rejected with a cold shrug.  
“No.” Jack said. “I don’t care how you try and justify it- this is wrong.”   
The charismatic smile disappeared from the King’s face and he gripped his sceptre with malice, “Really?” he asked slowly, “and what exactly are you going to do about that?” He gestured to the guards and soldiers rushing around them, “are you going to stop me? Go ahead then! Tell my men to stop! Let’s see how well they respect you without me there to control them.”  
Jack didn’t move.  
“You see Jack?” The Mad King asked mockingly as he took a step closer, “They don’t respect you, and you know it. They don’t even realize you’re there half the time.” He stepped closer once again so that- if not for the angry looks on their faces- they almost appeared to be sharing a moment of intimacy, “And would like to hear what else I know? What we both know?”  
Jack narrowed his eyes, “What’s that?”  
Ryan grinned widely, “I know for a fact that the only reason you haven’t attempted to assassinate me yet is because you know that the people don’t fear you. They don’t respect you, and they never will.”  
They stood there for a moment. Jack unmoving to show his resolve, and Ryan wanting to see the extent to which his harsh words hurt is ally.  
“But,” Ryan said, taking a step back and finally breaking the silence, “You also haven’t tried to kill me yet because you’re not strong enough. But don’t feel bad about that. No one's strong enough to defeat me.” he swept his arm in the direction he had originally be walking, “Now come along, pets. We have some rebels to catch.”  
One of these days, Jack thought, I’m going to kill this Mad King. And if I can’t...then I wish a long life for the man who does.  
…  
Gavin had lost all sense of reality. They had most likely been crawling through the vents and airways of the stronghold for just three quarters of an hour, but it felt like forever. It didn’t help that they were ensconced in darkness, and the image of Michael mutating into another being altogether was all he could picture. He had been placed in the middle- behind Ray and in front of Michael. But he didn’t have the ability to turn every once in a while and check if his hybrid friend had turned back into a wild bear.  
“Ok,” Ray said suddenly, “Someone needs to talk. We’ve been silent ever since I led you guys here and it’s driving me insane.”  
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Gavin erupted as soon as Ray had finished.  
“Why didn’t I- oh,” Ray muttered, “Well I thought the silence was because of my betrayal and immediate redeeming return, but if you want to work things out with your boyfriend, go right ahead.”  
“Shut up, Ray,” Michael grumbled. “Gavin, I didn’t tell you because you didn’t need to know, okay?”  
“Well it was pretty obvious.”Came Ray’s quiet voice from the front.  
“I didn’t need to know?” Gavin cried, “I’m your best friend! I’m more than that! How could you not tell me?”  
“I-” Michael began, “I wanted to. I really did. But-”  
“But what?”  
“It was difficult.”  
“How?” Gavin asked, “I’ve been idolizing the tale of the Mighty Mogar my whole life. You think I would have run away if it turned out to be true?”  
“Well you seemed pretty terrified of me when I changed.”  
Gavin opened his mouth to respond, but silenced himself upon realizing that this was true. He had wanted nothing more than to look away from Michael mutating like a monster, but he couldn't bring himself to look away from the gruesome spectacle.  
“I was just shocked.” he finally said. “But it’s brilliant now that I’ve gotten the idea through my head! I mean...you’re Mogar! That’s amazing!”  
Instead of an excited response from Ray, or shocked relief from Michael, Gavin simply received silence again.   
“It’s not so amazing when you realize the price,” Ray finally said.  
“What...what price?” Gavin asked, suddenly feeling a knot in his stomach, “and why tell Ray and not me?”  
“Thanks,” Ray grumbled dryly, “I’ll try not to feel offended by that.”  
“Because,” Michael continued with difficulty, “I knew you’d be upset.”  
“Upset about what?” Gavin insisted, “What’s really making me upset is that you won’t bloody tell me what the hell you’re talking about!”  
Michael went silent again, and Gavin groaned, wanting to pull his own hair out. Usually when being cornered like this, Michael would lash out and defend himself. This new quiet side of him was not what Gavin had been expecting.  
“It-” Michael began, “When I….whenever I turn...or transform, I guess...I lose a bit of my life span. I mean, If I’m in good shape its just a few days, maybe even just hours. But when I’m like this, after being beaten and poisoned and fighting four monsters to the death- i’ve probably lost years. Maybe decades.”  
This time Gavin was silent for a while, trying to take it all in. “So...how long do you have left?”  
Michael couldn’t shrug very well in his current position, but his tone of voice indicated uncertainty, “I don’t know...it doesn’t seem like a big deal at first, but all the times I’ve had to turn eventually build up.”  
“So how long do you have left?” Gavin asked again, feeling himself getting angry.  
“Less than you.” Michael returned.  
“Is- is that why you never told me?” Gavin could feel his words hurting Michael, but he was too angry to stop his flow of accusations, “Why you never let me....you never let us-”  
“It wouldn’t have worked,” Michael said softly, “You’d have outlived me by a longshot.”  
“Then who do you think would have ruled the kingdom after you took it back?”  
“Who do you think?”  
Gavin shook his head, not allowing this revelation to soften his anger, “You think making me king would make up for your death? That anything would?”  
He was too upset to even fully understand how much Michael must have truly cared for him- loved him enough to waste his life so sparingly, secure with the intent to give Gavin the throne to the kingdom he had worked so hard for. But then again- anyone would be better than Ryan.  
Another silence fell on the trio once more, and Gavin thought of all the times he had been forced to ‘keep watch’ while Michael and Ray faced danger. There were times when Gavin would be allowed to help them fight- when the task was taking down just a few men, or something equally simple. But when the job became more difficult, he would be sent away, thinking it was because he wasn’t strong enough.  
Now he understood- Michael hadn’t just been protecting him from danger; he had been protecting him from the truth.  
After some more time passed away, a small light became visible a few feet away from them- a crack in the tunnel. Ray stopped once he had crawled close enough to it, and but his ear up against the cold surface.  
“A trap door,” he whispered.  
Gavin and Michael went to press their ears against the wall as well- though not hard enough to push through- and a soft vibration could be felt through the rock: voices.  
Three of them to be exact. Two of them were deep and almost indistinguishable, save the authoritative attitude of one, and the gruff tone of the other. The last voice was rarely heard, and sounded next to broken. The three rebels looked at each other, knowing that a decision had to be made. They were most surely beside the room that Ryan and his allies were in.  
“So,” Ray said quietly, “What do you want to do now?”  
“What do you mean?” Gavin asked, “We have to go in there and kill Ryan!”  
His friends both looked at him oddly- it was strange for Gavin to be so keen on starting a fight, especially with an enemy like Ryan.  
“Listen,” Ray said, “I’ll go along with whatever you two want to do. Just know that there’s a tiny chance we’ll end all of this alive. If...if you wanted to get away, I wouldn’t think any less of you. In fact, if we’re careful I know some passages through the kingdom-”  
“No,” Gavin said, “We have to do this. You’ve seen what Ryan did to all those people! We’re not just doing this for us- there’s an entire population out there living under his rule, and it’d be selfish of us to run away and leave them helpless.”  
“Well,” Michael said, his voice a mix of admiration and pain, “You may just make a good king, Gavin. Maybe even a great one.”  
They looked at each other as best as they could in the darkness, but even sight was not needed to relay the emotions both of them felt.  
“Are you ready?” Michael asked.  
Gavin nodded, “Always.”  
Ray smirked and nodded as well.  
…  
It was now early morning- Geoff’s least favourite time of the day. The chamber they now stood in greatly resembled the planning room of the Mad King’s Tower. Just as the other did, this room had an extremely large and fenestrated wall- except this one was on the east. Geoff could see the pale orange of daylight seeping through the dark blue night and dulling it until it was a benign cyan. This room was also a bit smaller and less furnished, but it brought Geoff back to the same feeling he had experienced just a few days ago. Here the three of them were- in a planning room, deciding upon the fate of the three men who managed to escape from them time and time again.  
Jack and Ryan were arguing once more, but this time more aggressively than ever before. The Mad King was intent on getting his revenge- yearning to torture the three of them for the longest period possible before they all died. He not only sounded like a mad man, but also looked liked one. He had become ghastly pale, and the raised, red wound in his forehead- though ultimately harmless- was revolting to observe.  
“Are you insane?” Jack demanded, his deep voice echoing through the chamber, “You’ve just seen what happens when you try to keep them locked up! In fact you’ve seen it twice! All of this could’ve been avoided if you,” he stuck a thick finger in Ryan’s face, “had done the smart thing and executed them the moment you captured them! But no! You had to lord your power over everyone’s head like you always do, and now they’ve escaped AGAIN!”  
Ryan slapped Jack’s hand out of his face, for once, raising his voice above what was considered kingly and civil, “KEEP THE DISGUSTING, UNWORTHY EXTREMITIES OF YOUR GRUBBY HANDS OUT OF MY FACE!” He grabbed Jack by the collar, pulling him closer, “I AM YOUR KING, GODDAMNIT, AND YOU WILL LISTEN TO ME!”  
Jack pushed Ryan away, his face bright red. “DON’T. TOUCH ME. AGAIN.”  
“It would be my pleasure to never come into physical contact with the useless mound of flesh and pathetic morals that you so tragically must inhabit!”  
With this, Ryan turned to Geoff, who was staring out the window, back facing the chaotic scene, “Whaddaya say, Geoff?” The Mad King’s voice had suddenly gone back to that of a charismatic businessman, rather than a psychotic royal, “Don’t you think they deserve it? All of them?”  
“Death?” Geoff asked in an unleveled voice, “Yes. But I think we’ve put them through enough pain.”  
“Oh, come on Geoff!” Ryan insisted, turning him around by the shoulders, “Don’t tell me you feel anything at all for Gavin!”  
“I admit that he has committed crimes against the kingdom...but...He- he used to be my son-”  
“Exactly! In the past! And quite a painful past, wasn’t it Geoff? How could you ever forgive him for what he did to you?”  
Geoff looked up, bewildered. But the Mad King didn’t stop. He hadn’t realized that after all his careful planning, he was finally making a mistake.  
“How could you forgive the man who murdered your family, Geoff?” Ryan asked, “Did they really mean so little to you?”  
“What-” Geoff asked, “How did you know that?”  
Ryan froze, his jaw tightening. “Know what?” he asked slowly.  
“About my family! I never told anyone what happened that day! And I certainly never said a word about who did it!”  
“Well...of course you told me!” Ryan said, knowing exactly how weak his defense sounded, “You must have told me at some point! How else was I supposed to know?”  
Geoff put his hands to his face, shaking his head. His eyes widened with horror as the realization hit him, “You-” he whispered.  
The Mad King stepped back, looking offended, “Geoff do you really think I’m capable of all of that?”  
“YOU’RE SENDING THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE TO THEIR DEATHS!”  
“Th-that’s different! I’m doing this for the good of our kingdom! What good would killing your family do for me? And don’t you remember anything? Don’t you remember what happened on that day?”  
“Barely!” Geoff screamed, “I can barely fucking remember what happened to my own family, and I remember Gavin covered in their blood-”  
“Exactly!”  
“But-” Geoff looked up, his eyes filled with pain and rage, “I also remember a red light. A red light that pierces through everything I see in my mind no matter how many times I think of what happened, and the light get’s stronger in my head, EVERY TIME!”  
Jack pointed to Ryan’s sceptre, which was now glowing brightly, “That...is that the red light you remember?”  
“Not you too!” Ryan said desperately.  
Jack shook his head, “You’re telling me that as “the most powerful man in the realm,’ as you put it, you’re incapable of casting memory spells?”  
“I understand that the past twenty four hours have been eventful for all of us, but I think it’s time to calm down and look at things logically!”  
Just as the Mad King finished his plea, a thud echoed through the room. On the other side of the chamber, a small section of the upper wall fell forward, and the three rebels descended, with murderous expressions on their faces. Geoff froze, the only movement coming from his jerky breathing and twitching eye. The memories came flooding back, as if they had fallen out of a previously locked cupboard. As if all he needed to remember the truth was to determine the lie.  
Geoff bounded towards Gavin, and Michael unsheathed his sword, ready to cut off the king’s head- but instead of attacking his son, his hugged him, nearly collapsing into his arms.  
“I remember now,” he whispered fighting to keep himself from weeping, “I remember. You didn’t kill them.”  
Gavin’s eyes widened, “Is that...Is that what you thought I did? But...I wasn’t even there for that trip, remember? I had twisted my ankle, so I stayed home! You didn’t even explain why you were so mad when you returned…”  
“I know.” Geoff said, pulling back, suddenly feeling ashamed of his open weakness, “I...I don’t have the words to explain how sorry I am.”  
Gavin looked at him, filling with sorrow for the years they had lost. “It wasn’t your fault Geoff,” Gavin said, feeling his pain turning into anger, “It was his,” he pointed at Ryan, and everyone in the room turned to look at him, “It was your fault that all of this happened!”  
Gavin’s father grit his teeth, unsheathing his sword, “You...you’re going to pay for what you’ve done. For everything you’ve taken away from me!”  
Ryan tried for a truce, one last time, “Geoff, you need to rethink this-”  
“YOU SON OF A BITCH, YOU DIE TODAY!” Geoff charged at him, screaming at the top of his lungs. Gavin held out his hand to stop him- he was in no state to be fighting such a powerful adversary, but logic was the last thing on his mind.  
Just as Geoff’s sword was about to make contact with the flesh of Ryan’s neck, he held up his sceptre and yelled until the gem at the end of it burned bright enough to blind all of them. The fiery red turned to white, and they all fell to the ground.  
The flash died down quickly, but it had given Ryan enough time to abscond. A thin white smoke rose up from where he once stood, and he was nowhere to be seen.  
The remaining kings stood up and looked at each other, each aware that a silent contract had been made between the five former rulers: Ryan had hurt them- all of them. One way or another, he had played a role in ruining their lives. Some factors were unknown- but it would be naive to think the Mad King incapable of an evil simply because the notion had not been considered.  
None of them knew what would happen after that day- would the kingdom be divided equally, or based on family merit? Would they simply dissolve back into petty fighting? Would any of them survive at all?  
These questions- though important- could only be answered at a later time. In the present moment, only one thing could be known for certain.  
If they went down, they would go down fighting.  
And above all, something was clear in all of their minds.   
Even Ryan’s:

There would be blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Friendly reminder that I love comments. In fact I really need feedback to improve my writing skills (and I also love talking to RT fans). Come on guys, I don't bite.  
> Well...ya know.  
> Not much.


	8. Last Man Standing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The newly formed group finally works together to take down. In the final struggle of power, strength, love and war, who will be the last man standing?

Last Man Standing

Michael was the first to get his wits back together- there was no use in standing around when a murderous and powerful tyrant was on the loose.  
“Come one,” he said, addressing the newly formed group, “we have to move fast if we want to get him.”  
“Wait a minute,” Jack said, “We can’t just rush into this, we need a plan. Jumping in blindly may be your style, but it certainly isn’t ours.”  
“Yeah, and who appointed you to be the new leader?” Geoff asked angrily.  
“Right,” Michael growled sarcastically, “Because the drunk and the third wheel are much better options.”  
“Will you two just shut up and listen to him?” Ray demanded.  
Jack turned on him sharply, “And why are you so eager to keep switching sides? Last time I checked you were the Mad King’s lapdog, not Mogar’s!”  
“Last time I checked,” Ray spat, “You were perfectly okay with me dying along with Michael and Gavin even though I was working for you!”  
“You were working for him!”   
“Oh don’t go acting like you haven’t played a part in this whole clusterfuck, Jack! You may try to act noble and innocent, but you’re just as screwed up as the rest of us!”  
“Will everybody SHUT UP!?” Came Gavin’s angry voice, “I know you’re all disoriented and angry, but squabbling over who’s in charge is pointless and a waste of time!” He turned to Michael and put a hand on his shoulder, “Michael will lead us because he’s had the most experience fighting Ryan. I trust him, and after what all of you have done I don’t think you have the right to be angry at him for anything.”  
There was silence in the chamber as they all stared at Gavin, who had somehow matured from a foolish and carefree prince to one who could make decisions for a group. The next decision they made was unanimous.  
“No Gavin,” Michael said, gently removing his hand from his shoulder, “I won’t be leading the coup- you will.”  
The prince stared, wide eyed for a moment, “Me? But why? I don’t know the first thing about being a leader!”  
“Yes you do,” Michael insisted, “You were always the one who questioned my plans, even when I was stubbornly sure that they would work. You’ve seen all the mistakes I’ve made and...and I know that you can be better.”  
“But Michael-” Gavin looked around at the other kings, expecting them to disagree. Instead they all nodded, agreeing with the new choice for leader.  
“W-well,” Gavin started, “Alright then. If I’m your leader, I won’t let you down.”

…  
The five kings rushed down the hallways of the large building, all eagerly wielding weapons they wanted to use against the Mad King. Their plan was simple: One of them would approach him, asking to rejoin his side after seeing what little chance the rebels had. As Ray seemed the most likely to turn to betrayal, he had been chosen (a bit too quickly for his liking) to be the bait. The others would follow closely behind and ambush Ryan with full force.  
Together they looked unstoppable- Jack with his axe; Geoff with his sword; Ray with his blazing knives; The Mighty Mogar wielding his diamond sword at the side of his Prince Gavin. Nothing would stop them now.  
Or...so they had thought when they first set out on their mission. Quite a while had passed and still, no one had spotted Ryan. Geoff was about to suggest escape instead of insurrection, when Ray suddenly tensed.  
“There!” He said, whispering harshly and pointing down the corridor. At the end of the hallway, a blood red cloak flowed gracefully by the doorway. Without further instruction, Ray ran after the Mad King. Michael and Geoff followed, eager for his blood.   
“Wait!” Gavin called, “We didn’t- augh!” He exclaimed in frustration. What was the point of being leader of your followers didn’t even listen to you?  
Jack scowled, “Idiots. There’s no way Ryan would let himself be so easily caught. This has to be a trap.”  
“What choice do we have but to go after them?” Gavin asked.  
“We could try actually being smart for once,” was his snarky reply.  
But they both ran after them nonetheless. If they failed- it would be as a team.  
…  
The Mad King ran back to the Pit, which had long since been cleared of the prisoner bodies. He grinned with excitement- almost gleefully. The fools were making it so easy for him. For years he had woven an intricate web- entangling them all in constricting string they thought was their own free will. Ryan never doubted that they would band against him- that’s why the death of the mightiest of all had been so important. But now they were destroying all his hard work and schemes, forcing him to take the easy route and annihilate them all. Oh, how he hated doing things simply- but if they forced his hand...well what choice did he have?  
“Ryan!” came the assassin's voice from behind, “Why don’t you stop running and face what you’ve done?”  
At this absurdity, the Mad King turned and laughed mockingly, “This is hypocrisy at it’s finest, coming from a mutinous degenerate such as yourself! Tell me Ray, how many pieces of gold did it take for you to betray the only two people who could ever stand putting up with your worthlessness?”  
“You mean the people you paid me to turn over?”  
“Oh,” Ryan cooed, “Don’t go placing the blame on me. You wanted that gold so badly, you’d have done anything for it.”  
Ray shook his head, “I did it in the hopes that you would help me find the man who killed my family!”  
The Mad King smiled. “And if you keep telling yourself that, one day it might just be true.”  
“It’s the truth!” Ray yelled, readying a knife.  
“Oh, for heaven’s sakes boy, I’m the one who killed your pathetic family! Honestly, I thought you’d have at least been smart enough to work that out by now! I arranged the whole thing- the banquet, the poisoned desert, all of it! In fact you were supposed to have a piece too, but you always manage to slip by unnoticed don’t you? Like an error that no one notices. Tell me Ray- what was it like as such a young age? Watching everyone you know choking on their own bodily fluids? And I suppose you don’t like cake much these days, do you? The very smell must haunt-”  
“SHUT UP!” Ray cried, hurling a knife at the king, but missing terribly in his grief, “You disgusting snake, don’t you have any remorse?”  
“I try not to,” he said, inspecting his nails, “It distracts from the constant pursuit of power.”  
At that moment, the rest of the kings came rushing into the Pit, all weapons pointed at Ryan.  
“Well, well, well,” The Mad King said grandly, gesturing to the empty arena, “What a show this will be! Maybe even better than Michael’s wrestle with my prized Edgar!”   
“Ryan,” Gavin said, “We outnumber you-”  
“And yet you still have less than half my brains! Did you really think your little ruse would work on me? I am more powerful than you could ever imagine! You have no idea how much I will enjoy crushing you all like ants!”  
Gavin notched an arrow in his bow and fired, landing it right where Ray’s knife had been. This time, Ryan wasn’t surprised at all, and pulled it out just as he did before. “Poor Foolish Prince,” he sighed, “You have no idea how much magic I’ve built up over the years.”  
Gavin fired again, this time, sending the arrow clean through the neck. The king’s all gasped, but Ryan didn’t even blink. The third time Gavin shot, there was another flash of light, and Ryan appeared at the top balcony, waving the arrow he had just pulled from his now bloodied neck.  
“You see, Gavin? You can just keep trying, but you’ll always fail!”   
Gavin clenched his teeth and shot again, ignoring Michael’s shouts for him to stop. Ryan kept appearing and disappearing, being shot again and again until Gavin’s quiver was empty.  
“Goddamnit, Gavin.” Michael snarled, “Can’t you see it won’t work?”  
“This wasn’t supposed to happen!” Gavin snapped, “This wasn’t the plan, and it wouldn’t have happened like this if the three of you hadn’t run off like idiots!”  
Michael opened his mouth for a sharp return, but decided against it, realizing that Gavin was right.  
Ryan appeared before them once more, looking at once grand and disgusting. His luxurious cloak was covered in his blood, but his porous wounds had already begun to heal.  
“You should listen to your boyfriend, Gavin. Anyone with half a brain would know it’s fruitless to fight an enemy with access to healing potions.”  
“Healing potions.” Gavin whispered to himself, feeling like a complete idiot. Acquiring a large amount with the intent of immortality was illegal, but it should have occurred to him that the Mad King was far above his own law.  
“Really,” Ryan continued on, “It’s so sad to see what an absolute failure you’ve become! Perhaps if you had been able to learn from your father...but then again, he’s not much of an improvement, is he?”  
“That was your fault!” Geoff yelled, “You made me a stranger to my own son!”  
Ryan showed off his teeth in a malicious sneer, “And don’t forget the lives of your wife and daughter as well.”  
Geoff stood, shaking violently, “You-”  
“What?” Ryan asked, “Monster? Snake? Tyrant? Flattery will get you nowhere my friend.”  
“You’re going to pay.”  
“Oh really? And what are you going to do? Throw a broken bottle at me? You’re practically useless! You can’t even avenge your own family because of how weak you are!”  
Geoff snapped, running towards the Mad King in a full rage. Without taking a moment to think, he swung his sword at Ryan, aiming to chop off his head.  
A second before the blade hit him, Ryan raised his sceptre, shooting a beam of dark red light at Geoff. It hit him in the face, sending him staggering backwards. Gavin rushed to his side, helping him to regain his balance. He took a fearful step back when we saw what had happened to his father. His eyes glowed red- without pupils or irises, they looked like pits of fire.  
“Geoff?” Gavin asked, “What...what happened?”  
“You…” Geoff moaned, his voice broken and hoarse.  
“W-what?”  
“You!” Geoff ran at Gavin with his sword, nearly slicing his abdomen, “You killed my family!”  
“Geoff!” Gavin cried, dodging him, “What are you talking about, we just fixed this!”  
“Funny how anger works, isn’t it?” Ryan laughed, “When uncontrolled, it can be so easily misdirected.”  
Geoff lunged again, and Gavin got away with a cut shoulder. Michael had already tensed up and stepped in front of Gavin with his sword raised.  
“You are not going to hurt him.”  
“I’m going to kill him,” Geoff screamed. There was no sense of sanity to be found in his voice.   
The two began fighting- Geoff trying to get at Gavin but having to deal with Michael first. It wasn’t long before Geoff wanted to kill Michael as well, and the warrior’s eyes glowed red with the desire to destroy this new enemy.  
“Hey!” Jack yelled, “Stop that! Can’t you see what he’s doing? If you fight each other, you’re just playing into his hands!”  
“Yes, Jack,” Ryan cooed, “They never listen to you, do they? They always think they’re better when you’re obviously smarter than all of them.”  
Jack froze, feeling anger rise up in him. The frustration of being ignored when he could be so much more. Having to deal with these idiots who wouldn’t listen, “Yes,” he replied, his voice full of hatred, his eyes red as blood, “This is their fault.” He looked at Michael, who was still trying to get Geoff away from Gavin, “This is your fault!”  
He rushed at him, brandishing his double headed axe, “If you had just died like you were supposed to, none of this would be happening!”  
As Jack swung, Ray sent a knife right into his arm, sending him howling in pain. “Jack! What the hell are you doing? You’re supposed to be on our side!”  
“And what about you?” Jack bellowed, “Always the traitor, always changing allegiance! We can’t trust you!”  
“We?” Ray cried “There’s no we anymore if you keep fighting each other!”  
But Jack had lost interest- his anger at Ray too confusing and layered- he went back to charging at Michael.  
“Don’t ignore me!” Ray shouted. So many years of being ignored. Of hiding in the shadows. The anger began to rise in him too. He tried to fight it- to push it down. But it was too late. His eyes began to grow red and he prepared a knife to throw at Jack.  
Michael and Geoff were still sparring, screaming at each other, lunging and ducking attacks. At first it seemed that it would be a tough fight, but Michael’s rage made him stronger, while Geoff’s did the opposite. Michael swung, bringing his blade down to Geoff’s wrist, severing the hand with which he wielded his sword. Gavin cried out, but to Michael it was an echo in the distance. He continued, driving the sword into Geoff’s stomach, twisting it as much as possible and laughing when the dying king cried out in agony.  
Geoff fell to the floor, blood spilling from his mouth as well as his abdomen. Gavin rushed to his side, tears streaming down his face, “Geoff!” He cried “Geoff, no!” His hands shook as he racked his brain for something to stop the blood, but he knew that his father was doomed. A wound that deep from Michael’s sword had little hope of leading to recovery- even with proper medical attention.  
“Michael!” Gavin screamed, “What have you done?”  
Michael’s head turned sharply in his direction, and for a moment, Gavin thought he would attack him too. Instead the redness of his eyes began to seep away and his face twisted when he realized what he had done.  
“Oh god,” he said running his hands through his hair, “I didn’t...Gavin I-”   
He didn’t finish. He didn’t know what to say. Nothing could make up for what he’d done. Taking away Gavin’s father right after they had been reunited- he’d never forgive himself. And worse- neither would Gavin.  
He cradled his father in his arms, shaking him, trying to get some kind of response. A hoarse noise that sounded like a cross between a wheeze and a cough was emitted from his mouth before the light went from his eyes. It had sounded like ‘son,” and Gavin liked to think that Geoff’s dying words had been affirmation of his fatherly love- but it could have simply been a rasping cough as he tried to hold on to life. Either way, Gavin would never know.  
“You killed him,” his voice was broken as he closed his father’s eyes, “You k-” he tried to continue, but his voice broke and he didn’t want to start sobbing.  
Michael wanted to reach out his hand. To hold Gavin in his arms. But he knew he couldn’t, and that he probably never would again. He thought of apologizing again, but was interrupted by an excruciating pain that exploded in his back. He cried out as the poisoned flesh sent waves of pain throughout his body.  
Gavin cried out again as he saw Jack lodge his axe deep into Michael’s back. It hadn’t killed him, but the cry he let loose was almost as bad as when they had been in the cell.  
“Stop!” He cried, “Stop, all of you, he’s doing this!” He pointed at Ryan, who had taken a seat in one of the balconies, to get a better view. He smiled down at Gavin, and waved as if acknowledging a child. But no one listened- the excitement of violence was always more appealing than reason.  
Jack pulled the axe out of Michael’s back, and swung right around, catching Ray in the neck. His head went soaring and Gavin felt bile rising up his throat.  
“RAY!” He and Michael, both screamed in unison. Gavin took a shaky breath, trying to convince himself that it was all a dream. A terrible illusion and that this nightmare was not his reality.  
A mighty roar came from Michael, and he began twitching. He lowered to the ground and Gavin shook his head in horror. “Michael, no!”  
But Michael was not there anymore. A giant bear stood before Jack, growling and heaving heavy breaths.  
“Michael, please.” Gavin pleaded, “Mogar...whatever you are, just listen to me!”  
Mogar lunged forward, mauling Jack until the bloody flesh left over was unrecognizable. Gavin covered his ears, unable to listen to the howls of pain. When it was done, Mogar crumpled to the ground, morphing slowly and unceremoniously back into Michael. He had really done it this time, Gavin thought. He’d be left with almost no strength.  
The prince gently placed his father’s head on the ground, saying good bye for the second and last time. Michael slowly got up, staggering towards Gavin with his sword in hand.  
“Gavin-”  
“Stop.” Gavin said. “Just...just don’t. Please.”  
“Gavin, I’m not going to hurt you, I-”  
“I don’t care!” Gavin yelled, standing up to his full height, “I don’t care what you do, Michael, as long as you stay the hell away from me!”  
“Wait!” Michael said, desperately grabbing for Gavin’s arm, “Ryan,” he looked around the now empty balconies, “He’s gone, Gavin he could be anywhere.”  
Gavin shook his arm free, “I told you to leave me alone!”   
“Do you know what he’ll do to you? He’s a monster!”  
“So are you!” Gavin cried. He turned to one of the many doorways and ran back out into the labyrinth of corridors. He regretted the words before he even said them, but Michael didn’t know that. And anyway- who in their right minds would disagree?

…  
Gavin had never truly known exhaustion until that day. It really felt like a long and torturous night, but he guessed it was almost mid morning, and he couldn’t remember the last time he had slept. Once again he found himself running blindly through the black tunnels of the Mad King. But this time he was alone. No witty jokes from Ray to pass the time. No confidence from Michael to ease his worries. But of course not. Ray was dead. And so was Jack and his father. The reality of this never ceased to shock him, and he couldn’t tell if he was becoming numb to the pain or if it was worsening.  
He tried to tell himself that he didn’t care. That he wouldn’t even fight back when Ryan found him. Then he remembered everything he said about oweing the people of the kingdom. He thought it was fair that after everything he’d been through, he didn’t owe anyone a single thing. ‘But if you don’t care then why are you running?’ he asked himself. There was never an answer except that he needed to keep running.  
After racing down a particularly long and dark corridor for a while, Gavin found that it led to a dead end.  
“Well that’s useless,” he said to himself. Or rather he half thought it, half coughed it. He had no idea how long he had been running but his mouth tasted faintly of blood. He wiped the sweat from his brow and put a hand out the the wall to steady himself. The only sound he could hear was his shaky breathing. And then...faintly in the distance...the sound of footsteps. Slowly, the walls around him took on a reddish glow.  
He turned, part of him unsurprised, and the other screaming at him to run. To do something. But there was nothing to do.   
“Why hello there Gavin.” Ryan said, his face looking demonic in the red light of his sceptre.  
“Why don’t you just do it already?” Gavin asked, “Why don’t you just kill me and get it over with?”  
“Well how much fun would that be?” Ryan asked, “I could have just killed all your little friends in the Pit, but it was so much more fun to watch them kill each other!”  
“You’re sick.” Gavin croaked halfheartedly.  
“Oh, I know that little prince. But the truth is- I just wanted to thank you first!”  
Gavin narrowed his eyes, “Thank me? For what?”  
“Why, for helping me of course! You were always my greatest weapon against Michael and even Geoff! If you hadn’t weakened the Mighty Mogar into loving you, imagine how much better your little insurrection would have gone!”  
The prince clenched his fists, staring at the ground so that the Mad King would at least be unable to see his tears.  
“Oh,” Ryan continued, “and my conquest of Rise Monger land has gone swimmingly! I might have never even paid much attention to that weakling’s territory if I hadn’t been driven to anger by one of it’s residents!”  
Gavin looked up, his eyes wide, “Lindsay...is...is she?”  
“Most likely dead,” Ryan shrugged, “I didn’t make sure personally, but the village where her family lived was razed to the ground. So if she is alive, she’s probably wishing she died along with them. You know- you have a habit of bringing pain to just about everyone who trusts you!”  
“Why are you doing this?” Gavin demanded, “What has any of us- any of the people you destroy done to you?”  
“Don’t you understand by now, Gavin? It’s what they will do. And I can either stop them by killing them first, or by controlling them. Don’t you see? Ray and Jack could have been great if not for their overwhelming feelings of neglect and inability to be free of the past. Michael had no one to teach him how to be a leader, and meeting you only made him more vulnerable. Geoff was never able to get over what happened to his family long enough to form coherent thoughts, and you never had the chance to rule with him! Everything that’s ever happened to you has been carefully planned out by me, Gavin. Your entire life is both literally and metaphorically in my hands at this very moment. And this- this is where it ends.”  
He raised his sceptre over his head ready to bring it down on Gavin’s skull. Gavin winced and covered his head, bracing for the blow. But it didn’t come. He opened his eyes to see the Mad King frozen with his hands over his head, and his eyes bulging. Protruding from his chest was a glowing sword- Michael’s sword.  
He staggered back with a look of shock on his face. He looked down at the new hole in his chest- it went right through his heart.  
“Hello Michael,” he rasped quietly, “So you’ve come to join the fun too?”  
“But-” Michael said, “It- went through your heart!”  
The Mad King smiled, “Oh Michael. When will you learn? I don’t have one.”  
Michael rushed at him nonetheless, swinging as violently as he could. Ryan disappeared and reappeared at his other side. He thrust out his sceptre and illusions began to appear around them. They were all of Gavin, and they were all dying. All around him lay suffering apparitions of his love. One with a sword in his stomach, one choking from poison, one with broken legs, another missing limbs, even one whose head lay feet away from his body.  
Michael froze, looking around frantically. “G-Gavin?”  
“See what I mean?” Ryan said, “To anyone else those would mean nothing. But to him-”  
“Michael!” Gavin yelled, “They’re not me! I’m over here, I’m fine!”  
But Michael couldn’t hear him. He just stared dumbfounded at his surroundings, not knowing what to do. Gavin rushed over to him and took his face in his hands.  
“Michael, it’s me!”  
“Gavin?” Michael asked, his eyes seemed to be on him but looking through him at the same time.  
“I’m okay Michael, I’m fine.”  
“Gavin?” Michael asked again, “I’m so sorry, I don’t- I don’t know what to do, how do I help you?”  
Gavin clenched his jaw, knowing they had less than a few seconds before Ryan got bored of the little show. He brought Michael’s lips against his, kissing him after years of wondering what it would be like. For a moment, he felt happy despite the situation. With his eyes closed, the light and heat from the sceptre could have been the sun on a summer day in the forest. The tears on his face could have been tears of joy.  
When he pulled away, he immediately wanted to try again. I had gone by so quickly that he had forgotten to savour it. He forgot that he might never be able to do it again. Michael stared at him, a smile slowly spreading across his face, though he tried to stop it.  
He turned around, gripping his sword and ready to fight the Mad King for the final time- instead of a struggle, he was met with a hard crack to the face that sent him straight to the ground. The Mad King’s sceptre had unhinged his jaw and shattered the bones in his face.  
“Michael!” Gavin rushed towards him, but Ryan shoved him to the floor.  
“Gavin, you make this so easy. It wasn’t even the illusions that distracted him- it was you.” The Mad King laughed uncontrollably, shaking like a maniac, “I really should thank you Gavin!” He howled, “I’ve only grown stronger because of their deaths, and it’s all thanks to you!” As his eyes grew wilder, he sceptre glowed brighter, and Gavin could see that it wasn’t the orb that was glowing- it was the liquid inside of it. A healing potion.   
Gavin scrambled to Michael’s sword, grabbing it clumsily, and chopping off Ryan’s arm. The sceptre clattered to the ground and Gavin reached for it before the Mad King could recover from the shock.  
“What do you think you’re doing?” Ryan demanded, “You wouldn’t even know how to wield that thing even if you were strong enough!”  
“I don’t have to be.” Gavin said simply. He threw the sceptre to the ground and with a forceful swing, brought Michael’s sword onto it’s shiny surface. It shattered into millions of pieces and the potion inside evaporated with a sharp hiss.  
Gavin looked back up to see Ryan shaking and wide eyed, “You….fool! Do you know what you’ve done?”  
“Yes. I do. Perhaps I’m not as much of a fool as everyone always thought.”   
The Mad King began to back away as a hole opened up in his forehead- the spot where Ray’s knife had landed. He brought his remaining hand to the wound, screaming in pain. His shoulder began to gush blood, then his neck. He screamed, but it turned into pitiful gurgling as his throat filled with blood. Soon all the places Gavin had shot him began to reappear. Then eventually all the wounds Ryan had ever used his sceptre to heal began to make a second appearance. His entire body seemed to be opening up from the inside, which in fact, it was.  
He stumbled back, unbalanced by the new loss of a limb and a terror that he had not felt in many many years. The fear of death. Gavin lunged at him, feeling for the first time in his life that he was truly powerful. “This is for my family!” He yelled, stabbing Ryan in the stomach, “This is for Ray and Lindsay!” The other arm fell to the ground. “And that-” he swung one last time, cleanly removing the tyrant's head from his shoulders, “That was for my father.”  
The Mad King lay dead at his feet. His now armless body covered in blood, his limbs scattered, and his head lay on its side, eyes wide open. At first, Gavin didn’t know how to feel. He had lost so much that day that his triumph felt pyrrhic and hollow. But then he remembered Michael- the confession, the kiss. Almost the entire weight of the world seemed to lift from his shoulders.  
Gavin turned around and knelt at Michael’s side. “Michael! Did you see that? I killed him, I did it! Mi-”  
Michael’s breathing was shallow and his eyes moved lazily in his head. He nodded slowly, “I saw.” He struggled to say with his mutilated jaw.  
“Don’t worry Michael,” Gavin said, though he winced, “Once everyone knows what we’ve done, we won’t even have to pay for the potion to heal you. We’ll be kings, Michael!” He smiled widely, but the grin melted off his face. “Michael...aren’t you happy?”  
Michael nodded, “I’m so proud of you, Gavin. But we can’t...we can’t rule together.”  
“Why?” Gavin asked desperately, “After what we’ve done for this kingdom the people would have no right to-”  
“No,” Michael coughed, “It’s not just the poison, Gavin, it’s...Mogar is dying and so am I. This is more than just some magic trick and...and potions won’t be able to fix it.”  
“You...you don’t know that!” Gavin said frantically, “Can you stand? I’ll get you to someone who’ll know what to do-”  
“Gavin, you don’t know the tunnels, we’ll just get lost or I’ll die before we get there.”  
“No!” Gavin screamed, tears falling from his eyes for what felt like the thousandth time that day, “We have to do something, I can’t let you just die!”  
“Gavin-”  
“It’s not fair! It wasn’t supposed to be like this Michael, we were supposed to be happy! I was...I...I love you!”  
“I love you too, foolish prince. And...and I’m sorry for what I’ve done.”  
Gavin shook his head, “Don’t...don’t you dare do that Michael.”  
He lifted a hand, running it through Gavin’s messy brown hair, “Gavin...Take Ryan’s head...and his crown. And show them what you’ve done.”  
“But-”  
“Gavin you need to be King. If no one else claims the throne, the nobles will start fighting over it and the same thing we just went through will happen in a few years.”  
“Then let that be their problem!” Gavin cried selfishly, “I don’t want any of it anymore, I just want to be with you!”  
“Gavin,” Michael said again, this time more softly, “Please. I know you can be a great king. The kingdom was always meant for you anyway. All you have to do now is take it.”  
“But I don’t want-”  
“God, Gavin,” Michael exclaimed with a weak laugh, “I’m dying here, could you at least do what I tell you for once?”  
“O-Okay.”  
“Promise?”  
“...Yes. I...I promise, I just...I don’t want you to go.”  
“Same here.”  
Gavin looked into Michael’s eyes, searching for signs of awareness, but he could see the life going out of them. Shaking, he bent down and kissed him, for the second and last time.  
“Goodbye Michael.”  
…  
At first, everyone assumed that it had been the Mad King’s doing. The bodies strewn across the floor of the Pit looked just disturbing enough to have been his work. But one of them had been identified as an adviser, so many had their doubts. When King Ryan and his other close adviser couldn’t be found, people began to get nervous. When someone pointed out that the distorted body could very well be Jack, the entire building was in a panic.  
The soldiers and officials rushed around, wondering what to tell the rest of the kingdom. On an occasion like this, power would be given to the second in command. But what would be done if the only two candidates had been killed? They began to realize that no one else was qualified enough for the role.  
It was getting close to the afternoon when a few soldiers were tasked with disposing of the bodies. Geoff would receive a ceremonious funeral, but the carcass of the man they assumed to be Jack was too mangled to show at a public gathering. No one recognized the third man, so his body and head were quickly buried behind the arena.  
They were beginning to lose hope of solving the crisis when a skinny figure came staggering from one of the tunnels. As it got closer, they recognized it as prince Gavin- the prisoner who had escaped execution. A soldier was about to charge at him, but stopped when he saw what was in his hands.  
In one, he held the crown. In the other, the bloodied head of the Mad King. He held it up in the air, challenging those around him.  
“Your king is dead,” he said. Afterwards the soldiers thought they remembered him as sounded more hollow and sad than he should have been, “You can either kill me and watch as more blood is shed for the throne, or end the violence by making me king. And...and if you do, the body of a hero is lying in the tunnels. He will receive a proper funeral.”  
They all looked at each other, and their leader stepped forward. “Men,” he said, “Bow down before your new king.”  
“But-” one of them interjected, “What about Ryan?”  
“Now,” he said solemnly, “The old king is dead.” He fell to one knee, and his inferiors followed suit. “Long live the King.” They chanted in unison.  
With trembling hands, Gavin brought the crown to his head. It began to glow and shrink, becoming small and silvery.  
“Long live the King.” They chanted again, “All Hail King Gavin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't the end! Please continue reading for the epilogue.


	9. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Decades have passed since the dethroning of the Mad King. Mogar has been defeated, Ray forgotten, and Jack and Geoff are fading memories. The Last Man Standing ascends his throne day by day, seemingly in possession of all a man could ever hope for. But though he has won the war, he has lost something much more important.

The End

It was her job to take care of him. As the King’s personal servant, she took care of his every need and want. As he got older, he needed her company more and more. Mostly because he got lonely and didn’t like to be alone with his own thoughts.  
“I need a distraction,” he’d always say. But from what, he never revealed.  
Today was when they walked together in the forest nearby the castle. His advisers always scolded him for it. At the beginning of his reign, they wrote it off as immaturity, as he had taken the throne at quite an early point in his life. But even as an aging man, he insisted upon leaving the castle unattended for hours at a time with no heir of his own to watch over it.  
This was not to say that he was a bad king. He was in fact and excellent king. Less than a year after the ousting of the tyrant who once ruled the realm, immediate changes could be seen. The common people no longer starved because of the heavy taxation on their crops and livestock. More money could be spent on the personal bettering of their lives, and everyone thought fondly of this new kind and benevolent ruler. Of course there were some downfalls. The low taxes meant that less money was devoted to the upkeep of roads, bridges, and public buildings; the kingdom was quite literally falling apart.  
The army could barely support itself, and there were rumours that the Rise Monger- the kingdoms only close enemy- had used all those decades to rebuild his forces after the Great Invasion so many years ago. But the King refused to fight back, saying that those had been the actions of a different man. A madman. And they were to be regarded as such. And so the borders of the kingdom went undefended and vulnerable to possible attacks.  
The servant thought often of these things, and the King enjoyed asking about her opinions, though it was usually looked down upon when a peasant, much less a woman decided to have a few ideas of her own. The King liked most things about her. She wasn’t a terribly good servant, but she was quite a good friend. He often said that with her curly brown hair and freckles, she reminded him of someone he once knew.  
Though he never said who.

…  
They had been walking for a while when they came upon a small lake in a clearing.   
“Let’s take a rest here.” The King said, swinging off of his horse.  
She nodded and unmounted hers, looking around a bit nervously. She always asked that they take at least one guard with them. A young girl and and older middle-aged man wouldn’t do much good against bandits or thieves. But the King assured her time and time again that they would be safe. He was never wrong.  
“I love lakes,” he said, inhaling deeply.  
“Why?” She asked standing at his side, “You always look so sad whenever we pass one.”  
“Memories,” he said simply, “Happy memories of sad times, that’s all.”  
She tilted her head, looking at him funny, “Why do you always speak like that? In riddles?”  
The King shrugged, looking out across the clear water, “Makes me sound smarter, I suppose.”  
The servant giggled. The King was so different than what she imagined in her head when thinking of royalty. He was so considerate and humble- he had grown to be like a father to her.  
“I wasn’t always like this, you know,” he would say, “Once I was quite proud and a bit cocky. I’d strut around thinking I could conquer the world. But of course back then I was much happier.”  
“Why?” She asked again, “What made you sad? You never tell me.”  
“Of course I do. I lost much when I took the throne-”  
“Not like that! I mean what did you lose? Why did it change you so much?”  
The King went silent, looking out over the water again. “Do you ever think about death?”  
She whipped her head at him, eyes wide, “Why would you want to know something like that?”  
“Do you?”  
“Well...I don’t know, sometimes. It’s not really something I have to worry about yet.”  
The King laughed, but there was no humour in his voice, “You’d be surprised at how different things can turn out. So much different than what we imagine.”  
“A-Are you worried about dying? Because you’re not that old yet!”  
He laughed again, this time sounding truly happy, “No, that’s not what I meant. It’s just...well- I’ve been looking into the royal library. Books on legends and such. There’s one in particular that I’ve been pondering. It says that at the end of each era, the Six Kings of legend will return to take the kingdom anew.”  
“...and? What does that even mean?”  
“Oh well I just...I had a little theory...more of a thought. Or...or a hope I suppose.”  
“Hope of what?”  
There was no answer for a long time, and when it was clear that he wouldn’t answer her question, she decided to change the subject.“How about I go and pick us some apples to take back to the castle?” She asked.  
“Yes,” he said, his voice distracted and far away, “Yes, go ahead.”  
The servant nodded and walked a little way off, thinking of ways she could try and make him smile when she returned.  
The King sighed deeply, looking down at his reflection in the water. There were times when he could look into it and trick himself into believing that he saw more than was there. Sometimes he could see a tall and thin young man who looked quite like the King, with a smile plastered on his face. A shorter one with brown hair standing next to him, grinning back. Sometimes there was even a man in all black, or an older one with a moustache.  
He mostly focused on the brown haired man. His heart leapt when he smiled. Then the King would close his eyes and turn his head up, letting the sun shine on his face. But when he looked back down, he found that he was left alone by the lake. He looked back into it’s rippling reflection, and no longer saw two friends standing side by side. Instead he saw only an old king standing very much alone.

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, that's it! The project that has taken up about three months to complete (thanks to constant procrastination) is finally done. I really hope you enjoyed it, and didn't find the ending too rushed.  
> I'll be going back and fixing any spelling or grammar errors I may have made while I brainstorm for my next story. I'm not sure if I should do something original or if I should continue writing fan fictions. I do have an idea for another King AU, and I'd love to tell the stories of the Kings in a different light.  
> (I also wrote a poem about them a while back that I may publish as well)  
> What do you think?


End file.
